It was presented yesterday in Rome Friends of the Earth's report "The implementation in Italy of Regulation (EU) 2024/1787 on methane emissions from the energy sector"The event provided an opportunity to discuss the EU methane regulation at a crucial time both nationally and Europeanly, highlighting Italy's leading role in this matter.
Monica Tommasi, President of the association, recalled that "Italy's experience shows that the implementation of the Regulation is possible in the European Union, and in the Italian case, the commitment of the companies involved was fundamental, the action of the MASE and the role of environmentalists. Today, the EU's main challenge in implementing the Regulation is to provide pragmatic responses to the new crisis in energy supply security without compromising efforts to reduce methane emissions from the energy sector, both domestically and internationally.
Lea Pilsner, Director Energy Policy for Environmental Defense Fund Europe then underlined how Italy "has taken important steps to advance the implementation of the EU Regulation on methane emissions, including the competent authorities and penalties. The next stage is concrete implementation. This will not happen on its own: it requires constant political oversight to ensure that the rules are applied credibly and predictably. With rigorous enforcement, clear data, and consistent implementation, Italy can help set a benchmark for effective implementation across the EU.”
The report illustrated by Carlotta Basili of the national management of Friends of the Earth shows that Methane emissions in Italy from the natural gas and oil supply chains have already been reduced by 72% since 1990, going from an initial value of 358 kt of methane in 1990 to approximately 98 kt in 2024. However, methane emissions linked to the production of natural gas and oil imported into Italy can be estimated, based on IEA data, between 769 and 875 kt of CH4, a value an order of magnitude higher than the approximately 93 kt of methane emissions from the oil & gas supply chains in Italy. Carlotta Basili recalled that "in the short term (20 years), methane emissions have a climate-altering impact 80 times greater than that of CO2 and that emission reduction measures in oil & gas plants are often repaid with the recovered natural gas."
The Valeria Di Biase, methane scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund He emphasized that "the Friends of the Earth report shows a significant shift in Italy: from commitments to evidence. This is crucial, because the Methane Regulation ultimately depends on solid data, verification, and transparency. The priority now is to ensure that the information is consistent, accessible, and enforceable in practice. A credible sanctions framework plays a central role in this context, not as a punishment, but as a mechanism that transforms reporting obligations into real and lasting emission reductions."
Francesca Di Macco, MASE focal point for the RegulationFinally, he confirmed that the leading role our country is assuming is recognized even in the European discussions in which Italy participates. The representative of the Ministry of the Environment provided an update on the Commission's anticipated measures, which are delaying its activities. Specifically, on June 5th, European technical regulatory bodies will be tasked with defining the standard procedures that operators must follow for involuntary emissions testing. The Commission's intention to grant a three-year grace period on penalties for those who fail to comply with the Regulation was confirmed.
