Episode 26: EU Methane Regulation at a Crossroads: Balancing Ambition with Security of Supply

In this episode of Methane Talks, we’re joined once again by Emils Lagzdins, Senior Policy Officer at IOGP Europe, to assess the state of the EU Methane Regulation two years on.

This discussion comes at a pivotal moment, as effective implementation is now critical to ensuring the EUMR delivers on its ambitions, without leaving large parts of the industry non-compliant. In this conversation, we examine where progress is stalling, and the urgent actions required to ensure the regulation is effective while still safeguarding Europe’s energy supply. 

Having spent several years working alongside EU institutions and industry stakeholders on legislative processes, including time within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy, Emils bring a unique blend of policy insight and member company-level perspectives on the methane regulation. 

In this episode, we unpack:

• Year Two of the EUMR: what has progressed, what remains missing, and why many operators feel they are “operating in the dark.” 
   Implementation bottlenecks: competent authorities, verification capacity, MRV rollout, and unintended legal risks for operators.
• The critical gap between measurement and abatement: which regulatory rules actually drive emissions reductions. 
  Importer requirements: a pivotal element of the regulation, with current timelines risking large portions of global supply being non‑compliant by 2027.
• Why targeted amendments may now be unavoidable: what a pragmatic, risk‑based approach to methane mitigation should look like. 
  Standardisation challenges: the status of CEN/ISO work, why prescriptiveness is limiting flexibility, and when the industry can realistically expect clarity.
• As the EU seeks to balance climate ambition with security of supply, Emils provides one of the clearest and most technically grounded assessments available on the policy and what the path forward may look like.
• Whether you're an operator, policymaker, technology provider, or stakeholder, this is a must‑listen conversation. 

Emils Bio: 

Emils Lagzdins is a Senior Policy Officer at IOGP Europe, where he works on EU climate and energy policy with a particular focus on methane emissions regulation and security of supply. He engages closely with EU institutions, industry stakeholders, and international partners on issues affecting the upstream oil and gas industry. Emils holds an academic background in European and international policy and has several years of experience shaping industry's technical input to EU legislative processes. He speaks Latvian and English. 

Company Bio:

The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) Europe is the Brussels-based advocacy arm of IOGP. We support the EU’s climate neutrality objective and advocate for an inclusive policy framework to help reach it while safeguarding Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. Our members account for 90% of Europe’s oil and gas production and 40% of global output.