site.btaEC Urges Bulgaria, Austria to Comply with Methane Regulation

The European Commission (EC) Friday decided to send a reasoned opinion to Bulgaria and Austria for breaching the Methane Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 by failing to appoint a competent authority responsible for monitoring and enforcing the application of the rules and notify it to the Commission. The 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, the EC said in a press release. 

Member States had to notify to the Commission the names and contact details of their competent authorities by February 5, 2025. The Commission notes that Bulgaria and Austria have still not fulfilled this obligation and now have two months to respond to the reasoned opinions and address the shortcomings raised by the Commission. Otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union, the press release added.