EC review of liability regime for offshore oil and gas activities |
The European Commission recently published a communication (the Communication) on "facing the challenge of the safety of offshore oil and gas activities".
The Commission is concerned that existing licensing, operational safety and environmental protection standards often vary from one Member State to the next, preventing the establishment of a coherent European approach to managing health, safety and environmental risks. The Commission has considered how industry players can be encouraged to conduct offshore activities in a unified manner through a cohesive legal framework which would better ensure best practices are applied across the EU.
The European Commission is set to review the liability regime applicable to offshore petroleum activities and will:
- propose amendments to the Environmental Liability Directive (2004/35/EC, as amended by Directive 2006/21/EC) so that it covers environmental damage to all marine waters (as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC);
- re-consider introducing a mandatory requirement for operators to provide financial security in the event that a major accident occurs; and
- consider, in a guidance document interpreting existing legislation, the applicability of the Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) to oil spills
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