Leading European industry associations have jointly called on EU policymakers to make biomethane a central pillar of the bloc's reindustrialisation, energy security, and decarbonisation strategy, warning that persistent regulatory gaps are holding back deployment.
The Joint Biomethane Declaration, published in Brussels on 24 March 2026, sets out ten priority actions to accelerate the sector's growth, citing mounting pressure on European industry from high energy prices and rising carbon costs, with some sectors already facing production cuts and closures.
With around 22 billion cubic metres of biogas and biomethane currently produced in Europe annually, the signatories argue the fuel offers immediate, scalable relief for energy-intensive and hard-to-abate sectors including chemicals, metals, pulp and paper, maritime, and fertilisers. Produced domestically, biomethane could also reduce Europe's dependence on imported gas at a time when the EU still sources around 90% of its gas from overseas.
The declaration emphasises biomethane's role beyond energy, describing it as a cornerstone of Europe's circular economy. Around 25 million tonnes of digestate are already produced annually from European biogas operations, while the sector captures 1.17 million tonnes of biogenic CO₂ — equivalent to approximately 14% of Europe's merchant liquid and solid CO₂ demand. The signatories note that ammonia production, a key source of CO₂ for merchant markets, faces disruption from the ongoing Middle East crisis due to its dependence on natural gas imports.
Priority actions outlined in the declaration include recognising biomethane's contribution to EU climate targets — including the REPowerEU target of 35 billion cubic metres by 2030 — removing administrative barriers to certification and trading, harmonising national support schemes, and improving infrastructure access through streamlined permitting and integrated grid planning.
The signatories called on European and national policymakers to work with industry to "turn this potential into reality," describing the scaling of biomethane as both a shared responsibility and a major opportunity for Europe.
European industry associations urge EU leaders to accelerate biomethane rollout
