On the Commission delegated regulation of 8 July 2025 supplementing Directive (EU) 2024/1788 of the European Parliament and of the Council by… specifying a methodology for assessing greenhouse gas emissions savings from low-carbon fuels

B100464/2025

European Parliament resolution on the Commission delegated regulation of 8 July 2025 supplementing Directive (EU) 2024/1788 of the European Parliament and of the Council by specifying a methodology for assessing greenhouse gas emissions savings from low-carbon fuels

(C(2025)04674 – 2025/2809(DEA))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to the Commission delegated regulation of 8 July 2025 supplementing Directive (EU) 2024/1788 of the European Parliament and of the Council by specifying a methodology for assessing greenhouse gas emissions savings from low-carbon fuels (C(2025)04674),

–having regard to Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–having regard to Directive (EU) 2024/1788 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on common rules for the internal markets for renewable gas, natural gas and hydrogen, amending Directive (EU) 2023/1791 and repealing Directive 2009/73/EC, and in particular Articles 9(5) and 90(6) thereof,

–having regard to the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/1184 of 10 February 2023 supplementing Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing a Union methodology setting out detailed rules for the production of renewable liquid and gaseous transport fuels of non-biological origin,

–having regard to Rule 114(3) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas the development of the Union’s hydrogen market has been hindered by an unclear, overly complex regulatory environment which discourages investment decisions for hydrogen projects and, as a result, undermines the Union’s competitiveness; whereas it requires a rapid scale-up to meet industrial needs, with low carbon hydrogen expected to play a key role;

B.whereas the Special Report of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) 11/2024 found the Union’s hydrogen targets as overly ambitious; whereas the report called on the Commission to carry out a reality check in order to reassess their feasibility and credibility and urged future strategies to be based on sound assessments;

C.whereas the production of low-carbon hydrogen is an enabler for reaching the Union’s competitiveness across different key sectors, including transport and energy-intensive industries; whereas the proposed delegated regulation should have provided greater legal certainty for the market which is essential for unlocking investment opportunities;

D.whereas energy-intensive industries and other key sectors are calling for clarity and support rather than additional complexity, underlining the need for a regulatory environment capable of enabling innovation, scale-up, and the practical deployment of technologies, while upholding the principle of technological neutrality;

E.whereas the proposed low-carbon delegated regulation does not address those calls and could lead to further hampering the uptake of low-carbon hydrogen in Europe;

1.Objects to the Commission delegated regulation;

2.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and to notify it that the delegated regulation cannot enter into force;

3.Supports the expansion of low carbon hydrogen production and distribution as an essential component of the Union’s energy strategy; calls on the Commission to allow the use of low-carbon hydrogen to meet the RFNBO targets for industry and transport, as set out in Directive (EU) 2023/2413 of the European Parliament and of the Council;

4.Considers that the proposed delegated act, by imposing restrictive and unworkable emission calculation rules, would make low carbon hydrogen production in the Union close to impossible and, as a result, undermine the development of the hydrogen market which is essential for the energy-intensive industries;

5.Draws attention to ECA Special Report 11/2024 which recommended to calibrate market incentives for renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production and use based on realistic assessments, as well as to consider regional and industrial sector specificities and the role of low-carbon hydrogen;

6.Is concerned for the subsequent difficulties for companies to invest and to pursue the decarbonisation efforts; regrets, moreover, the risks stemming from an overly complex regulatory framework and the additional bureaucratic burdens placed on companies, which are already severely affected by the competitiveness crisis;

7.Notes with concern that the proposed framework would have a negative impact on manufacturers, as manufacturers would be required to report the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of their national electricity grid on a monthly basis, even when sourcing their electricity from low-carbon sources; stresses that this administrative burden would have a direct impact on the price of low-carbon hydrogen and that it stands in direct contradiction to the objective of enhancing Union competitiveness;

8.Stresses the importance of respecting the principle of technological neutrality; notes that, in its current form, the proposed framework appears to favour ‘green’ hydrogen (RFNBO) over low-carbon hydrogen and discourages its production, particularly in Member States where nuclear power is an important part of the energy mix; affirms that this could lead to discriminatory and unequal conditions for Member States;

9.Underlines that the delegated act envisages an assessment of nuclear-based Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) only after July 2028, thereby providing only a limited recognition of nuclear energy; calls for enhanced flexibility in the accounting of methane emissions, including by making greater use of project-specific data;

10.Calls on the Commission to submit in the third quarter of 2026 a new delegated regulation which:

(a)ensures a clear and simple methodology for the calculation of the carbon footprint, while avoiding additional administrative burdens;

(b)recognizes all production pathways capable of meeting the required GHG savings threshold, including electrolysis powered by nuclear electricity, natural gas involving CCSU, biomass and biomethane;

(c)withdraws the delay for the assessment and eligibility of nuclear PPAs or analogous arrangements until the 2028 revision;

(d)permits reliance on nuclear PPAs as an alternative to the Member State’s overall energy mix;

(e)allows the use of project specific methane emission data for upstream emissions, with default values to be used only where project data is unavailable;

(f)establishes an investor-protection mechanism (grandfathering clause) for methane and hydrogen emissions, in anticipation of possible future adjustments to the methodology;

11.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and to the governments and parliaments of the Member States.