European Commission - GMP Methane Action Update (September 2024)

The EU co-launched the Global Methane Pledge (GMP) together with the US at COP26 in Glasgow 2021 to slash methane emissions by 30% by 2030. Since its launch, the GMP has generated unprecedented momentum for methane action. Country endorsements have grown to over 150 representing 80% of the global economy, and more than 50 countries have developed national methane action plans or are in the process of doing so. The EU works closely together with the GMP implementing bodies, the IMEO and the CCAC, to turn these commitments into action. 

Key actions and achievements to date 

Tackling greenhouse gas emissions is a priority of the European Green Deal. The EU’s methane strategy (COM2020/663), published in October 2020, sets Europe’s ambition and aims to curb temperature increases, improve air quality and reinforce the EU’s global leadership in the fight against climate change.

Key to delivering the EU Methane Strategy, the first-ever EU Regulation on methane emissions reduction in the energy sector (EU/2024/1787) entered into force on 4 August 2024. This represents an ambitious step towards addressing methane emissions in the energy sector and implementing our GMP commitments. The new regulation obliges the fossil gas, oil and coal industry in Europe to measure, monitor, report and verify their methane emissions according to the highest standards, and to take action to reduce them. With Europe being the largest global fossil fuel importer, the regulation will also progressively introduce more stringent requirements to ensure that exporters gradually apply the same monitoring, reporting and verification obligations as EU operators.

In terms of financing, the EU also showed its commitment to reducing methane emissions at COP28, being the largest financial contributor to the Methane Finance Sprint with €175 million (€ 220 million as Team Europe). At COP27 in 2022, the EU also confirmed its commitment on methane emission reduction by endorsing a ‘Joint declaration on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels’, together with the United States, Japan, Canada, Norway, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. 

Plans for the future 

In follow-up to President Von der Leyen’s announcement at COP28, the EU will present its ‘Methane Abatement Partnerships’ roadmap at COP29, aiming to further incentivise fossil fuel importer-exporter cooperation able to attract investments in methane abatement projects, contributing to both energy security and the fight against climate change.

In the implementation of the EU Methane Regulation requirements, the Commission will put in place a monitoring tool on global methane emitters based on the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS) of the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) to provide reliable information coming from satellite data on the magnitude, occurrence and location of high methane-emitting sources occurring within or outside the EU. This will be accompanied by a rapid reaction mechanism for 'super-emitting' events, where the European Commission will.

Additionally, the EU will continue its cooperation with international organisations, such as the IEA, CCAC and the IMEO, as well as other major importers, such as Japan, and South Korea, to advance on global data transparency and send a joint political signal to the market that can incentivise further methane abatement action as well as allow buyers to make informed supply decisions.

Thanks to the implementation of the waste legislation and policies, such as the Waste Framework Directive, the Landfill Directive, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, or the Circular Economy Action Plans, the EU has reduced its methane emissions from the waste sector by more than 37% since 1990. A correct implementation with recent waste management obligations (e.g. Reduce landfilling of municipal waste to 10 % or less by 2035; compulsory separate collection of bio-waste from 2024; ban on landfilling of separately collected waste; stabilization of biodegradable waste before disposal), in line with the waste hierarchy, as well as the developments of the circular economy, will imply further reductions in the near future.