EU to introduce oil platform safety laws
Proposals for the first EU-wide laws on oil platform safety and standards are likely early next year, the European Commission said today.
The move follows a review of existing rules which the Commission now says revealed the need for an overhaul, including "more coherent" legislation to guarantee the highest safety standards.
A report out today suggested tighter controls on granting drilling permits, independent supervision of oil platforms and new technical criteria for safety controls - including the kind of "blow-up preventer" believed to have failed in the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
EU Energy Commissioner Gunter Oettinger, who held meetings earlier this year with oil and gas companies operating off-shore in Europe, said today: "Safety is non-negotiable.
"We have to make sure that a disaster similar to the one in the Gulf of Mexico will never happen in European waters. This is why we propose that best practices already existing in Europe will become the standard throughout the EU".
But his earlier call for a moratorium on all new drilling for oil in European waters has been ditched after disagreements with other Commissioners and staunch opposition from the UK government.
Only last week, the European Parliament voted 323 to 285 against a call from some MEPs for a moratorium.
Today's report says the review revealed that, "although safety standards in the EU industry are generally high, the rules often vary from company to company and legislation differs from one member state to another."
Some safety issues on oil platforms come under existing EU rules but "the analysis showed that an overhaul and a more coherent legal framework are needed if the highest safety standards are to be assured."
The report says formal proposals for new laws could be tabled "early next year", covering prevention of oil rig accidents, disaster responses and financial liability.
The Commission is expected to propose that the granting of new drilling licences to be subject to new agreements on company contingency plans and proof that the company can pay for environmental damage in the event of an accident.
Oil platforms are currently controlled by national authorities, but the Commission wants national supervisory efforts to be evaluated by independent experts.
Oil companies are also likely to be required to agree to clean up any boil spills and rectify environmental damage in a zone extending up to 200 nautical miles from the coast.
SNP MEP Ian Hudghton welcomed Mr Oettinger's decision to back away from demanding a moratorium on new deep sea oil drilling:
"I'm pleased that common sense seems to have prevailed.
"Commissioner Oettinger is wise to heed last week's vote in the European Parliament where we clearly rejected calls for a deep sea drilling moratorium."
He went on: "We made clear during those discussions that Scotland's oil industry has a first rate safety record and operates to the highest standards. It would have been foolish to put jobs at risk in a knee-jerk reaction to the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
"We reject any suggestion that the EU should gain powers over oil and gas resources and will continue working to ensure Scotland has full control over its natural resources."
