European Maritime Safety Agency with more competences to include prevention of disasters related to oil exploitation

The Report on the activities in the oil and gas sector was adopted yesterday in the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament. All the recommendations of Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP, Rapporteur, were included in the Report.

Maria da Graça Carvalho asked to extend the competences of the European Maritime Safety Agency, located in Lisbon since 2006, in order to create monitoring and safety mechanisms, and also to prevent environmental disasters related to oil exploitation.

The Portuguese MEP officially expressed her suggestion to the European Commissioner for Energy, Gunther Oettinger, the European Commissioner for Transport, Siim Kallas, and the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva. In her letter, Maria da Graça Carvalho suggested "to seize the infrastructures of the European Maritime Safety Agency, which has a privileged and strategical position, and incorporate these competences in this EU agency located in Portugal. It is not necessary to create a new agency for these new competences, because that would have more administrative and logistical costs."

The Report aims at guaranteeing the most rigorous safety rules in the world. Mrs Carvalho continued: "It reflects my worries about the prevention of environmental disasters related to oil exploitation. Considering the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, responsible for the spill of 20,000 barrels of oil per day, and having European exploitation in the North Sea, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, it is important to assure the protection of our costs."

Further recommendations of Maria da Graça Carvalho include the need for better coordination at EU level and with neighbouring countries to ensure best practices and harmonise the different approaches in the various EU regions.

The European Commission will prepare a proposal for legislation for October which will aim at implementing the recommendations in the Report.

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: Facing the challenge of the safety of offshore oil and gas activities

European Commission Press Release - Offshore oil drilling: European Commission envisages EU safety rules

For further information:

Maria Da Graça CARVALHO MEP, Tel: +32-2-2845776

Sandra Carreira, EPP Group Press and Communications Service, Tel: +32-2-2832508

Notes to Editors:

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 264 Members.