Brussels, 23/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - At this stage, the European Commission has no plans to propose new legislation for the exploitation of shale gas. Poland, which is keen to use its enormous deposits to free itself of its dependence on Russian gas, sees no need for any.
The European executive is currently examining whether environmental legislation in force in the EU would also apply to activities related to shale gas, but is not planning to propose any new legislation in the matter “in the immediate future”, the spokesperson to Günther Oettinger, Marlene Holzner, confirmed this week. Earlier this month, the energy commissioner said that he was in favour of setting in place common standards for the exploitation of shale gas in the member states of the EU.
If, like France, which has banned the use of shale gas, at least by means of the hydraulic fracturing technique, due to its dangers for the environment, certain countries are reluctant to exploit shale gas, Poland is keen to make use of the enormous deposits of the resource on its territory, which have been estimated at 5300 billion m3, to free itself of dependency on Russian gas. It is not, however, keen to discuss European rules for the sector. There are already enough rules on the exploration and production of hydrocarbons, including from unconventional sources such as shale gas, argues the Polish foreign minister, in a press release published earlier this week in response to Günther Oettinger's announcement. “There is no need to bring in any new rules. There is a need to make sure that existing legislation is being complied with and to make sure that exploration work corresponds to existing standards and requirements”, he said, adding that the industrial-level use of the fracturing technique to extract gas and oil throughout the world has never caused any problems in decades. At the European Parliament, the Greens did not see things quite the same way: the French member José Bové wants a European moratorium on the extraction of shale gas pending a proper investigation into its impact. (EH/transl.fl)