The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached today by the European Parliament and the Council on a new EU regulation on reducing methane emissions in the energy sector in Europe and in our global supply chains. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas – the second biggest contributor to climate change after carbon dioxide (CO2) – and is also a strong air pollutant. Today's agreement is therefore key to delivering on the European Green Deal and reducing our net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55 % by 2030. The fossil gas, oil and coal sectors will have to properly measure, monitor, report and verify their methane emissions according to the highest monitoring standards and take action to reduce m. Today's agreement comes just weeks ahead of the COP28 conference, where the EU will continue its cooperation with international partners on reducing methane emissions.