European Commission calls on IRELAND and 8 other EU Member States to comply with the Methane Regulation

The other 8 EU Member States that received Commission letters of formal notice are: Bulgaria (INFR(2025)2115), Estonia (INFR(2025)2114), Spain (INFR(2025)2118), Italy (INFR(2025)2111), Lithuania (INFR(2025)2110), Austria (INFR(2025)2116), Slovakia (INFR(2025)2108) and Finland (INFR(2025)2113).

Ireland and the other 8 EU Member States have breached the Methane Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 by failing to appoint, and notify to the Commission, a competent authority responsible for monitoring and enforcing the application of the rules. The EU Methane Regulation tackles methane emissions in the crude oil, natural gas and coal sectors. It aims to improve measurement and reporting of methane emissions in the EU, to foster their abatement, and to increase transparency in the EU and globally. It also incentivises the EU’s international partners to measure, report and reduce their methane emissions. Member States had to notify to the Commission the names and contact details of their competent authorities by 5 February 2025. the Commission notes that the Member States in question have still not fulfilled this obligation. The Commission is therefore sending letters of formal notice to Bulgaria, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Austria, Slovakia and Finland, which now have two months to respond and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the Commission may decide to issue a reasoned opinion.