How the fossil fuel lobby gutted the EU’s methane rules

A new report by Fossil Free Politics reveals how the fossil fuel industry’s relentless lobbying – fuelled by fearmongering over rising energy prices and threats to security of supply – helped to weaken and delay the EU Methane Regulation.

The findings reveal a familiar pattern: the fossil fuel industry has once again mobilised its immense lobbying power to roll back climate protections. During the record-breaking heatwaves, forest fires and droughts of summer 2026, EU decision-makers continued opening their doors to the very industry driving the climate crisis.

Key findings:

• More than 80% of the European Commission’s meetings with external interest representatives on the Methane Regulation involved fossil fuel lobbyists between January 2025 and July 2026.
• Oil and gas companies and their business associations met the Commission on average every week in the past 18 months.
• The lobbying has also reached the European Parliament: all 17 MEPs who called for the regulation to be reopened in a letter to the Commission in April 2026 had met fossil fuel lobbyists in the preceding year.
• Meanwhile, 17 EU Member States urged the Commission to delay the rules by three years, with their joint position closely mirroring fossil fuel industry statements – you can find a word for word comparison in the research. 
• Their campaign was fuelled by unsubstantiated warnings of rising energy prices and threats to security of supply. The industry also commissioned a Wood Mackenzie report criticised for incorrect assumptions and misinterpretations of the regulation.
• US fossil fuel interests, including the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, played a significant role. Beyond direct lobbying, US fossil fuel interests leveraged their political influence in Washington, mobilising the Trump administration, Congress and US diplomatic representatives to pressure the EU to weaken or delay the law. 

Find all the details and more in the report.