EU countries are considering a softening of the methane emission law for gas imports

According to a document obtained by, European Union countries could demand that Brussels simplifies the EU's law on methane emissions, which has raised concerns among companies that it may hinder imports of U.S. liquid natural gas.

The EU will require importers of gas and oil to report and monitor the methane associated with their imports starting this year. The second biggest cause of climate changes is methane emissions from gas leaks.

The draft conclusions of a Monday meeting between EU energy ministers revealed that governments were preparing to request the European Commission add the methane legislation to its "simplification", or drive to reduce bureaucracy, for companies.

The draft requested that the Commission quickly assess which EU laws on energy can be simplified "in order for Member States, Industry and Citizens to reduce the administrative burden, such as the methane regulations, because it could impact the cooperation between economic operators outside the EU".

Poland is still drafting the conclusions, which could change before Monday's adoption by ministers.

The EU passed its methane legislation in May last year, but it has been under scrutiny since then as the EU attempts a shift away from Russian gas and purchases more U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas to replace it.

Washington and Brussels both indicated that EU LNG purchases could be part of a larger U.S. EU trade deal. U.S. president Donald Trump set a deadline of July 9 for the EU in order to avoid steep tariffs.

Romania and Slovakia have warned that the methane legislation could disrupt gas imports. Some U.S. gas companies have warned that they may struggle to comply to the EU law due to the fragmented industry in the US.

Environmental groups reject this idea. They argue that there are systems which can digitally track gas along the value chain in accordance with EU law.

In a recent letter sent to U.S. officials and EU officials, the U.S. LNG Allies industry group requested a trade agreement to ensure that U.S. Gas exporters would be deemed to follow "equivalent methane regulations" to those in the EU and, therefore, automatically comply with methane laws. (Reporting and editing by Ed Osmond; Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici)

(source: Reuters)