Why Methane Matters

Published: 19 February 2026

methane emissions visible by Optical Gas Imaging (OGI)

#EUKICON26 || Day 1 || 02:00 PM

Participants will examine why methane matters for climate minitgation and energy security, discuss the challenges of implementing the EU Methane Regulation, and consider what this reveals about Europe’s wider climate ambition.

Description

Methane emissions from the energy sector – coal, oil and gas – have been widely underestimated, but there are ample opportunities to reduce them cheaply and rapidly. Reducing methane emissions is one of the most effective measures to mitigate climate change swiftly. This sentiment was echoed in the European Parliament and EU Council, when they adopted the EU Methane Regulation in 2024 with overwhelming majorities. It establishes binding requirements for monitoring, reporting, leak detection and repair, and methane performance standards for fossil fuel imports.

However, two years later, as is the case for other climate policy milestones, its success is at risk. The public discourse is dominated by external political pressure in a complex geopolitical environment and repeated talks about deregulation – particularly efforts to dilute European methane import standards. These have contributed to regulatory uncertainty and insufficient implementation measures in many EU Member States.

Drawing on experiences from EUKI project implementation in Czechia and Romania and on our monitoring of the Methane regulation’s implementation in other member States, the workshop will discuss:

How to bridge gaps in national legislation?

How to create awareness for overlooked climate protection measures like methane emissions abatement?

How to act in an increasingly difficult (geo)political landscape to uphold Europe’s climate policy ambition?

How to engage with both civil society and industry on these topics?

Facilitators

Corina Murafa, Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE)

Raffaele Piria, Ecologic Institute