The European biogas sector has had a strong development over the last decades, and the European Union (EU) aims to advance biogas and biomethane production further to secure the region’s energy supply. This study investigates how EU policy has influenced and will continue to affect the biogas sector, based on experiences from five European countries. Through a combination of document studies and interviews with national biogas association representatives, this study identifies qualitative causal relationships between EU policies and different parts of the biogas value chain, including biomass generation, biogas production, and biomethane upgrading. It is shown that even though national policies have had a central role, EU policies provide an important framework, which in different ways influence production of biogas and biomethane. EU policies on e.g. renewable energy, rural development and waste management since long encourage using waste streams for biogas production. Targets on renewable energy use and greenhouse gas emissions reductions are important drivers for the use of biomethane. Still, there are inconsistent and conflicting policies impeding the development, for example by limiting the use of biomethane in road transport. Furthermore, EU policies have affected different member states in different ways. Successfully furthering the sector is deemed to require increased policy coherence and clarity on how biogas and biomethane can be produced and used.