The development of new gas or oil fields in European seas will only be permitted if the company has prepared an adequate emergency plan and has sufficient funds to repair possible damage to the environment, according to a resolution passed by the European Parliament today.
Site-specific plans for all drilling, which would have to be approved by the relevant Member State before any operation begins, would better protect the environment, says the resolution, which seeks to influence new draft legislation to be tabled by the European Commission this autumn.
These emergency plans should identify potential hazards, assess pollution sources and effects and outline a response strategy in the event of an accident.
"Offshore sources is the world's fourth largest production area and it is crucial to meeting Europe's energy needs and our energy security. Every site, every operation should be assessed for its specific risk and informed regulators should only allow drilling to occur if they are comfortable that the risks of that site can be and are being managed and this should be the case in the Arctic and indeed in every sea area," said the rapporteur, Vicky Ford (ECR, UK)
The resolution calls for a provision on financial liability requiring all oil and gas operators to show in the licensing procedure that they have sufficient funds to repair any harm done to the environment as a result of their activities. MEPs also suggest that the scope of the "polluter pays" principle and "strict liability" should be extended to cover all damage done to marine waters and biodiversity.
MEPs are not certain that a European regulator for all offshore operations would bring enough added value to justify “draining scarce regulatory resources” from national authorities but they agree that the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) should coordinate responses in the event of an accident.
Parliament also proposes that whistleblowers be protected, enabling employees to declare any security breaches or risks anonymously, without fear of harassment.
However, critics of today's vote in the European Parliament say the proposal leaves the environment dangerously exposed.
MSP Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Green Party, said: "The European Parliament have simply failed to take account of the risk posed by deepwater drilling in Scotland's waters. Greens continue to argue for a moratorium on new drilling after BP's Gulf of Mexico disaster and Shell's leak in the North Sea this summer, but it looks as if MEPs have been persuaded by the oil lobbyists that the safety of their profits should come before the safety of the marine environment."
The resolution was approved with 602 votes in favour, 64 against and 13 abstentions.
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