Uche Cecil Izuora
The Government of Nigeria has joined the State of Qatar to endorse a joint statement urging the European Union to take swift, necessary actions to clarify and to adopt targeted amendments to the EU Methane Regulation (EUMR), some of which have already been requested by several EU Member States, industry, and members of European Parliament.
The statement in the form of an open letter addressed to the President of the European Union, the President of the European Council, and EU Member State Leaders, was signed by Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, HE Minister of State for Energy Affairs Eng. Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and Algerian Minister of Hydrocarbons, Mohamed Arkab.
In their open letter, the four energy producers and major suppliers of liquified natural gas to the EU reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening economic and strategic partnerships with the EU and ensuring its energy security.
They also voiced full support for the EU’s objectives of increasing the bloc’s economic competitiveness, prosperity, sustainability, and energy security through provision of reliable energy supplies for the Union’s member states and citizens.
“It is with these shared goals in mind,” the letter said, “that we write to urge the EU to take swift, necessary actions to clarify and to adopt targeted amendments to the EUMR.”
The open letter was motivated by the fact that critical technical elements of the EUMR remain missing, presently undefined or unclear, despite the January 2027 entry into force of provisions impacting importers into the EU.
The absence of legal certainty and key implementing details under the EUMR is seen to increasingly constrain the ability of energy exporters, including QatarEnergy, to plan, contract and commit future oil and gas supplies to EU markets.
The letter also addressed the financial and legal risks associated with contracts that often span multiple years and that are valued in the tens of billions of euros and proposed a series of measures the energy producers believe should be taken ahead of the amendments.
These include: the adoption of a stop‑the‑clock mechanism, to provide time to develop methodologies and compliance pathways that work for all, grandfathering of new contracts signed while these additional legislative adjustments are developed and implemented, and removal of penalties for non-compliance for the duration of the transitional period.
The letter concludes by stating that “we encourage the Commission and EU Member States to work with industry stakeholders on necessary clarifications and changes that enable effective implementation of the law while reducing untenable risks”, with the State of Qatar standing ready to engage with the European Commission and EU Member States, as a constructive partner in respect of the EUMR. (QNA)