From Policy to Progress: Methane Regulation Hits One-Year Mark

One year after the EU adopted its landmark Methane Regulation (officially entered into force on 5 August 2024), civil society organisations across Europe are mobilising to turn ambition into action. The recently launched European Civil Society Observatory on Methane (CSO-M) brings together more than 19 member organisations from 8 countries to help ensure the Regulation works as intended: reducing methane emissions quickly, fairly, and transparently.

With the regulation now in its crucial implementation phase, civil society organisations across Europe are monitoring progress and holding their governments accountable. The CSO-M is a space for civil society organisations, campaigners, and others to collaborate across borders. The coalition helps amplify the call from civil society for swift and transparent progress aligned with Europe’s ambitious and needed climate goals.

European Civil Society Observatory on Methane: First Members Announced 

The CSO-M enables civil society organisations to work together in a coordinated, inclusive platform – sharing knowledge, engaging governments, and providing support at both EU and national levels. Today, the CSO-M announces its first cohort of member organisations, forming the backbone of a growing movement to ensure the regulation delivers tangible climate results:

Official Members include:

1. 2Celsius, Romania
2. Andy Gheorghiu Consulting
3. Amici della Terra, Italy
4. Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Belgium
5. Center for Climate Crime Analysis, The Netherlands
6. Center for Transport and Energy, Czech Republic
7. Clean Air Action Group, Hungary
8. Clean Air Task Force
9. Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe
10. Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Germany
11. Earthday Europe
12. ECCO Think Tank, Italy
13. Ember
14. Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS)
15. Environmental Defense Fund Europe
16. Environmental Investigation Agency
17. Greenpeace European Unit
18. Instrat, Poland
19. Legambiente, Italy
20. Razom We Stand, Ukraine

New Tool: Regulation Tracker Launches  

To mark the milestone, the CSO-M is also unveiling the first version of a Regulation Tracker, a civil society-led tool monitoring how EU Member States are translating the EU Methane Regulation into national action.

The Tracker launch comes at a time of growing civil society concern over delays and weak enforcement of the new law, both on national and pan-European level. It offers practical, accessible insights to civil servants, policymakers, and journalists seeking to understand where progress is happening, where support is needed, and where implementation could be improved. Civil society organisations are calling on the European Commission and national governments to uphold strong ambition, avoid regulatory rollbacks, and deliver on Europe’s climate promises.

What’s Next 

In the coming months, members of the CSO-M will:

• Expand the Tracker’s features in line with emerging needs
• Support national dialogues and capacity-building;
• Coordinate joint advocacy within the EU climate agenda;
• Monitor implementation at the national and sub-national level;
• Link EU methane action with global accountability in the lead-up to COP30.

CSO-M members comment:

“Science alone doesn’t cut methane – people do,” said Helen Spence-Jackson, Executive Director at EDF Europe. “The real test of the EU’s regulation is what happens on the ground, and Europe’s diverse civil society is ready. From climate advocates to clean air campaigners, these groups bring the insight, reach, and determination needed to turn data into action and hold governments accountable.”

“As the biggest importer of fossil gas in Europe and a Champion of the Global Methane Pledge, Germany should aim to be a role model when it comes to reducing methane emissions from fossil fuels,” said Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Executive Director at Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH)/Environmental Action Germany. “The implementation of the methane regulation is a test if the government is serious about their climate goals. We are monitoring and pushing the implementation together with our allies across Europe.”

“Coal mines are the largest source of fossil methane emissions in the EU, yet they’ve long flown under the radar. The EU Methane Regulation is one of the most ambitious initiatives globally to measure and reduce coal mine methane, with enormous potential to deliver rapid, significant emission cuts,” said Sabina Assan, Senior Analyst at Ember. “However, realising this promise depends on Member States embracing robust implementation. The technologies to mitigate coal mine methane are already available. What we need now is for companies and governments to put these solutions to work and drive emissions down.”

“Methane emissions across the supply chain are a key indicator of poor environmental and operational practices in the fossil fuel industry. For years, Europe’s dependency on imported fossil gas — particularly from authoritarian regimes like Russia—has also fueled conflict, corruption, and environmental destruction. The full implementation of the EU Methane Regulation can shift this dynamic. By enforcing transparency and accountability across the gas supply chain, including imported gas, the Regulation will expose the hidden climate costs of fossil gas and reveal the true environmental footprint of unaccountable suppliers like Russia. This empowers EU consumers and policymakers to make cleaner, more ethical choices — and accelerate the shift away from fossil fuels,” said Svitlana Romanko, Founder and Executive Director at Razom We Stand.

“Today, reducing methane emissions in the energy sector is the most effective and rapid way to cut greenhouse gases in the short term,” said Tommaso Franci, Methane Emissions Campaign Lead at Amici della Terra. “Monitoring through the new CSO-M Regulation Tracker, built also on the experience of our campaign in Italy, will help EU countries implement the new regulation’s objectives more quickly and transparently.”

“Implementing the EU Methane Regulation in countries like Poland is crucial – not only because of our significant coal sector, but also due to the opportunity it presents to modernise outdated infrastructure, reduce harmful emissions, and align with EU climate goals. It’s a chance for Poland to lead by example in tackling one of the most potent greenhouse gases,” said Zuzanna Charkowska, Analyst at Instrat Think Tank.

“Like many European countries, Czechia is lagging behind in adopting this crucial regulation,” said Veronika Murzynova, Methane Emissions Expert at the Centre for Transport and Energy. “We welcome the current national proposal — now it’s time to get it approved. Our field research confirms that methane leaks from fossil infrastructure remain a problem in Czechia simply because no one has acted. This is exactly what the new legislation can change.”

“Reducing methane emissions is a critical piece of the puzzle to phase out fossil gas by 2035,” said Chiara Martinelli, Director at Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe. “Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe, is responsible for approximately 30% of the current increase in global temperatures since the Industrial Revolution. With the EU importing 90% of its fossil gas consumption, methane is leaking across the entire supply chain, putting our climate targets at risk. That’s why protecting the EU Methane Regulation and delivering on the implementation of the import framework is non‑negotiable. CAN Europe is working to counter the unfortunate and dangerous wave of EU deregulation and will continue to mobilise for bold and ambitious climate action through a robust implementation of the European Green Deal.”

“The industry is talking for over a decade about tackling methane emissions from fossil fuels as the “low hanging fruit” in the fight against man-made global warming”, said Andy Gheorghiu, longtime freelance Anti-Gas Campaigner and Consultant. “This toxic fruit is now hanging so low, it has become a damn tree of its own. Time to get real and get the job done!”

“Many people are not aware even of the simplest methods to reduce their fossil fuel consumption (e.g., at what time of the day and for how long they should open the window of their room)” – said András Lukács, President of Clean Air Action Group, a Hungarian environmental NGO established 36 years ago. “It is crucial to raise public awareness about the climate and environmental damages caused by methane emissions and what ordinary people could do to reduce these emissions.”

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is pivotal in the challenging fight against climate change,” argues Pierluigi Sassi, President of Earthday Europe. “EU Methane Regulation, which came into force last year, represents a fundamental tool to act on Europe’s commitments. Civil society has a duty to defend it from any attempt to weaken it and to closely monitor the situation, also through extraordinary operations like CSO-M. As to the energy transition, we must all ensure that institutions resist the temptation to move backwards instead of pushing decisively for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels. Earthday Europe wants to do its part in this matter.“

“Avoiding methane emissions not only means combating climate change, but also an opportunity to reduce imports, which improves our energy security and reduces our national energy bill”, said Stefano Ciafani, President of Legambiente, Italy. “This is of fundamental importance to Italy, considering that our Government bets on fossil gas as the major component of our energy mix. In fact, we already dispose of many mature and efficient technological solutions to abate methane emissions from fossil fuels, paving the way for a sustainable energy future based on renewables and energy efficiency. In a joint effort with our CSO-M partners, we will keep on working to ensure the EU Regulation will boost decisive European and Italian action on methane”.

“By 2030 the EU’s gas demand is projected to decline drastically, giving us plenty of leeway to be more selective with gas that we still would be importing. The Methane Regulation aims to do exactly that by introducing a methane intensity threshold for importers. The days are counted, in which we solely let price dictate from where we import gas, introducing criteria such as the climate and environmental impact and respect for human rights are therefore crucial,” said Angelos Koutsis, Energy policy expert at Bond Beter Leefmilieu, Belgium. “That is why implementing a non-waterdowned version of the EU Methane Regulation –  including the methane intensity threshold for gas imports –  is paramount. “

“The implementation of the methane regulation is a crucial step towards breaking free from fossil fuels. The EU simply cannot afford to keep investing in a climate-killing energy source that harms communities and the environment, not only in Europe, but also in the countries we import from. We’re in a climate crisis driven by fossil fuels, and Europe must urgently shift to renewables and ban all new fossil fuel projects,” said Eszter Matyas, Greenpeace CEE campaigner with the European Fossil-Free Future campaign.

“Methane leaks are Romania’s silent blow-out: every survey we’ve made at wells, pipelines, compressor stations, gathering stations and other sites with an infrared camera reveals fugitive plumes still billowing into the sky. Abandoned-mine methane from Romanian mines alone could erase the climate gains of every new wind turbine we build. This is why the EU Methane Regulation cannot remain ink on paper. It must be enforced—rigorously—in Bucharest and across Europe, with verified monitoring, tight leak-detection schedules, and effective penalties. By bringing operators, regulators, researchers, NGOs and frontline communities into a single conversation and drawing on global best practice, 2Celsius has shown that effective implementation is not only possible but essential if Romania—and the EU—are to turn ambition into real, near-term climate gain,” said Mihai Stoica, Executive Director, 2Celsius.

About the CSO-M  

The European Civil Society Observatory on Methane (CSO-M) is an independent platform designed to empower civil society to drive down methane emissions from fossil fuels. By integrating science, policy and economics, it strengthens the role of NGOs in holding policymakers and industry accountable for achieving their climate commitments. The CSO-M Secretariat is co-hosted by Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDF Europe) and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH). Its flexible and inclusive structure encourages participation at all levels.

Why we need to act on methane now:

Methane (CH₄) traps over 80 times more heat than CO₂, fueling faster warming and more extreme weather. Stronger storms, bigger wildfires, and deadlier heatwaves are already here – devastating communities and putting lives at risk. [NASA, Methane]

Cutting methane now has an immediate impact – Unlike CO₂, which stays in the atmosphere around for centuries, methane breaks down in about 7-12 years. Reducing emissions today will rapidly slow global warming and buy us critical time to tackle CO₂ and other pollutants.

For media inquiries, please contact info@cso-m.eu