Governance & Policy
EU Methane Regulation
European Union regulation imposing measurement, reporting, leak-detection and repair obligations on the energy sector to cut methane emissions, including for imports.
Definition
The EU Methane Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1787, requires oil, gas and coal operators to measure, report and verify methane emissions, carry out leak detection and repair, and bans most routine venting and flaring. It extends transparency requirements to imported fossil energy, obliging importers to provide methane performance data.
Quick reference
At a glance
- Subject
- Governance & Policy
- Editorial status
- Editorial draft
- Definition status
- Established
- Last updated
- 19 August 2026
- Also known as
- Methane Regulation · Regulation (EU) 2024/1787
Overview
What it means
Methane — a potent short-lived greenhouse gas — becomes subject to enforceable operational rules rather than voluntary pledges.
How it is used
Operators build LDAR programmes; importers gather supplier methane data; regulators compare performance across supply chains.
Why it matters
Cutting methane is the fastest lever to slow near-term warming, and this is the first major import-covering methane law.
Review
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