The complaint, lodged on October 29, challenges two specific executive actions. The Commission first recommended in July that member states pause penalties for importers violating methane standards until 2030. This was followed by a proposal earlier this month to delay the implementation of import rules by one year, citing concerns over energy security.
EU Commission Faces Ombudsman Complaint Over Methane Rules Delay
The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency has formally accused the European Commission of maladministration, alleging that recent concessions to the fossil-fuel industry regarding methane import regulations undermine the bloc’s legislative integrity and the rule of law without sufficient evidence of potential energy supply disruptions.
Campaigners argue these decisions lack empirical justification, suggesting the Commission succumbed to intense lobbying from oil and gas firms, the White House, and various member states. Jack Corscadden, a senior climate campaigner at the EIA, stated that the Commission has weakened enforcement mechanisms despite having no credible data to suggest that the original 2024 regulations would trigger price spikes or supply shortages. By stalling a law already finalized earlier this year, the watchdog claims the Commission is eroding the transparency of the legislative process.
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