COM(2010)560 - Facing the challenge of the safety of offshore oil and gas activities

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Contents

  1. Key information
  2. Key dates
  3. Related information
  4. Full version
  5. EU Monitor

1.

Key information

official title

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Facing the challenge of the safety of offshore oil and gas activities
 
Legal instrument Communication
Decision making procedure Own-initiative procedure (INI)
reference by COM-number61 COM(2010)560 EN
Additional COM-numbers SEC(2010)1193
procedure number63 2011/2072(INI)
CELEX number64 52010DC0560

2.

Key dates

Document 12-10-2010
Online publication 12-10-2010

3.

Related information

 

4.

Full version

This page is also available in a full version containing the latest state of affairs, the summary of the European Parliament Legislative Observatory, the legal context, other dossiers related to the dossier at hand, the stakeholders involved (e.g. European Commission directorates-general, European Parliament committees, Council configurations and even individual EU Commissioners and Members of the European Parliament) and finally documents of the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission.

The full version is available for registered users of the EU Monitor by ANP and PDC Informatie Architectuur.

5.

EU Monitor

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  • 1. 
    Eleven lives were lost in the explosion and subsequent fire. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil had been released into the ocean before the leak was halted after 85 days, affecting 350-450 km of US coast.

     
  • 2. 
    In 2009, production of oil and natural gas in the EU and Norway amounted to 196 and 269 million tons of oil equivalent, respectively. Some 90% of EEA oil and 60% of gas production originates from offshore.

     
  • 3. 
    The Piper Alpha platform exploded in 1988 killing 167 people and releasing 670 tons of oil into the sea. 123 people died when the Alexander Kielland platform capsized in 1980.

     
  • 4. 
    Public administration bodies involved in licensing and supervision of offshore activities in Member States.

     
  • 5. 
    Statements of Commissioners Oettinger and Damanaki at EP plenary on 7 July.

     
  • 6. 
    Waters under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the EU Member States in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Black Seas and the North-East Atlantic Ocean, including the waters surrounding the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. These include coastal waters, territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

     
  • 7. 
    Resolution on EU action on oil exploration and extraction in Europe adopted on 07 October 2010.

     
  • 8. 
    Article 194 of TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

     
  • 9. 
    ibidem

     
  • 10. 
    Directive 94/22/EC on the conditions for granting and using authorizations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons.

     
  • 11. 
    Directive 92/91/EEC concerning the minimum requirements for improving the safety and health protection of workers in the mineral extracting industries through drilling, Article 3.

     
  • 12. 
    Directive 96/82/EC on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances (Seveso II).

     
  • 13. 
    Council directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.

     
  • 14. 
    Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on machinery, and amending Directive 95/16/EC, and Directive 97/23/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning pressure equipment.

     
  • 15. 
    The Deepwater Horizon rig was classified as such MODU.

     
  • 16. 
    TFEU Article 191(2).

     
  • 17. 
    Directive 2008/56/EC.

     
  • 18. 
    A working group was created within the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers to assess current practices and consider improvements. An industrial consortium has been set up to develop emergency well intervention tools for the Gulf of Mexico.

     
  • 19. 
    Maritime Spatial Planning is a key tool to manage the competition between different activities for space in intensively used maritime areas by ensuring their long-term stability and predictability.

     
  • 20. 
    See Communication
     
  • 21. 
    Oil Spill Response Ltd (part of the Global Response Network).

     
  • 22. 
    Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002.

     
  • 23. 
    North Sea Offshore Authorities Forum (NSOAF).

     
  • 24. 
    Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil.

     
  • 25. 
    See Article 18 of the conclusions of the OSPAR Ministerial Conference of 23/24 September 2010.

     
  • 26. 
    Convention for the protection of the marine environment in the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR), Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention), Convention on the protection of the Black Sea against pollution (Bucharest Convention).

     
  • 27. 
    Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines 2009.

     
  • 28. 
    UNCLOS foresees the obligation for states to protect the marine environment from pollution, to establish contingency plans and adopt laws and regulations to prevent, reduce and control pollution in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction. Nevertheless, compliance and enforcement mechanisms are not included and implementation relies on the good will of states and of bodies such as sectoral organisations and regional seas conventions. This accounts for major differences in compliance with these obligations, including in European waters.

     
  • 29. 
    International Convention on Oil Pollution (OPRC).

     
  • 30. 
    The IRF members include Brazil, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, UK and United States.

     
  • 31. 
    Eleven lives were lost in the explosion and subsequent fire. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil had been released into the ocean before the leak was halted after 85 days, affecting 350-450 km of US coast.

     
  • 32. 
    In 2009, production of oil and natural gas in the EU and Norway amounted to 196 and 269 million tons of oil equivalent, respectively. Some 90% of EEA oil and 60% of gas production originates from offshore.

     
  • 33. 
    The Piper Alpha platform exploded in 1988 killing 167 people and releasing 670 tons of oil into the sea. 123 people died when the Alexander Kielland platform capsized in 1980.

     
  • 34. 
    Public administration bodies involved in licensing and supervision of offshore activities in Member States.

     
  • 35. 
    Statements of Commissioners Oettinger and Damanaki at EP plenary on 7 July.

     
  • 36. 
    Waters under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the EU Member States in the Mediterranean, the Baltic and the Black Seas and the North-East Atlantic Ocean, including the waters surrounding the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. These include coastal waters, territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ).

     
  • 37. 
    Resolution on EU action on oil exploration and extraction in Europe adopted on 07 October 2010.

     
  • 38. 
    Article 194 of TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

     
  • 39. 
    ibidem

     
  • 40. 
    Directive 94/22/EC on the conditions for granting and using authorizations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons.

     
  • 41. 
    Directive 92/91/EEC concerning the minimum requirements for improving the safety and health protection of workers in the mineral extracting industries through drilling, Article 3.

     
  • 42. 
    Directive 96/82/EC on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances (Seveso II).

     
  • 43. 
    Council directive 89/391/EEC on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work.

     
  • 44. 
    Directive 2006/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on machinery, and amending Directive 95/16/EC, and Directive 97/23/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning pressure equipment.

     
  • 45. 
    The Deepwater Horizon rig was classified as such MODU.

     
  • 46. 
    TFEU Article 191(2).

     
  • 47. 
    Directive 2008/56/EC.

     
  • 48. 
    A working group was created within the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers to assess current practices and consider improvements. An industrial consortium has been set up to develop emergency well intervention tools for the Gulf of Mexico.

     
  • 49. 
    Maritime Spatial Planning is a key tool to manage the competition between different activities for space in intensively used maritime areas by ensuring their long-term stability and predictability.

     
  • 50. 
    See Communication
     
  • 51. 
    Oil Spill Response Ltd (part of the Global Response Network).

     
  • 52. 
    Regulation (EC) No 1406/2002.

     
  • 53. 
    North Sea Offshore Authorities Forum (NSOAF).

     
  • 54. 
    Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil.

     
  • 55. 
    See Article 18 of the conclusions of the OSPAR Ministerial Conference of 23/24 September 2010.

     
  • 56. 
    Convention for the protection of the marine environment in the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR), Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area (Helsinki Convention), Convention on the protection of the Black Sea against pollution (Bucharest Convention).

     
  • 57. 
    Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Guidelines 2009.

     
  • 58. 
    UNCLOS foresees the obligation for states to protect the marine environment from pollution, to establish contingency plans and adopt laws and regulations to prevent, reduce and control pollution in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction. Nevertheless, compliance and enforcement mechanisms are not included and implementation relies on the good will of states and of bodies such as sectoral organisations and regional seas conventions. This accounts for major differences in compliance with these obligations, including in European waters.

     
  • 59. 
    International Convention on Oil Pollution (OPRC).

     
  • 60. 
    The IRF members include Brazil, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, UK and United
     
  • 61. 
    De Europese Commissie kent nummers toe aan officiële documenten van de Europese Unie. De Commissie maakt onderscheid in een aantal typen documenten door middel van het toekennen van verschillende nummerseries. Het onderscheid is gebaseerd op het soort document en/of de instelling van de Unie van wie het document afkomstig is.
     
  • 62. 
    De Raad van de Europese Unie kent aan wetgevingsdossiers een uniek toe. Dit nummer bestaat uit een vijfcijferig volgnummer gevolgd door een schuine streep met de laatste twee cijfers van het jaartal, bijvoorbeeld 12345/00 - een document met nummer 12345 uit het jaar 2000.
     
  • 63. 
    Het interinstitutionele nummer is een nummerreeks die binnen de Europese Unie toegekend wordt aan voorstellen voor regelgeving van de Europese Commissie.
    Binnen de Europese Unie worden nog een aantal andere nummerseries gebruikt. Iedere instelling heeft één of meerdere sets documenten met ieder een eigen nummering. Die reeksen komen niet overeen met elkaar of het interinstitutioneel nummer.
     
  • 64. 
    Deze databank van de Europese Unie biedt de mogelijkheid de actuele werkzaamheden (workflow) van de Europese instellingen (Europees Parlement, Raad, ESC, Comité van de Regio's, Europese Centrale Bank, Hof van Justitie enz.) te volgen. EURlex volgt alle voorstellen (zoals wetgevende en begrotingsdossiers) en mededelingen van de Commissie, vanaf het moment dat ze aan de Raad of het Europees Parlement worden voorgelegd.
     
  • 65. 
    Als dag van bekendmaking van een Europees besluit geldt de dag waarop het besluit in het Publicatieblad wordt bekendgemaakt, en daardoor in alle officiële talen van de Europese Unie bij het Publicatiebureau beschikbaar is.