France is pressing the European Union to temporarily ease new energy regulations as elevated fuel prices and tightening supply conditions increase pressure on governments to protect access to oil products.
French President Emmanuel Macron has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to postpone new methane-reporting requirements for oil and gas importers, arguing that the rules could create additional legal and supply risks during an already strained energy market.
The request concerns EU methane rules that increasingly require importers to provide information about emissions associated with oil and gas supplied to Europe.
France is seeking a delay until 2028 for some requirements.
Paris is also asking Brussels for greater flexibility surrounding fuel specifications as European governments confront tight supplies of products including diesel and kerosene.
The request illustrates the growing tension between Europe’s longer-term environmental regulations and immediate energy-security concerns.
France is not arguing that the EU should permanently abandon methane controls. Instead, the government is seeking temporary flexibility while energy markets remain disrupted.
The policy debate could matter for refiners, commodity traders and companies importing fossil fuels into the European Union.
Relaxing requirements could broaden the pool of fuel and crude supplies able to reach Europe in the short term. Maintaining the existing timetable, however, would preserve regulatory pressure on suppliers to document and eventually reduce methane emissions.
The European Commission has not yet adopted the French proposal.
That leaves the request as a policy initiative rather than an enacted regulatory change.
