ERGaR has submitted its contribution to the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) survey on gold-plating, to address regulatory barriers that continue to affect the development of the European biomethane market.
Additional national requirements and different interpretations of EU rules can create obstacles for market participants operating across borders. For ERGaR, addressing these barriers is essential to support a functioning Single Market for biomethane.
The sector does not need additional layers of regulation. Instead, ERGaR calls for simpler implementation of existing EU rules, stronger mutual recognition between Member States and greater consistency in their application.
In its contribution, ERGaR highlights several areas where national approaches can create barriers, including:
- restrictions affecting cross-border transfers of Guarantees of Origin;
- additional national registration requirements for market participants;
- uncertainty on the eligibility of imported biomethane;
- discriminatory conditions in national support schemes;
- inconsistent sustainability requirements; and
- diverging approaches to the treatment of liquefaction by equivalence.
These differences can increase administrative costs, reduce market liquidity and create uncertainty for investment decisions. They can also make it more difficult for biomethane to be traded efficiently across European borders.
A harmonised European biomethane market depends on clear, proportionate and consistently applied rules. ERGaR will continue to advocate for a European framework that facilitates cross-border trade, strengthens market integration and supports the further development of renewable gas in Europe.
Read ERGaR’s full contribution and recommendations here: