Poland plans to veto EU proposals to apply environmental legislation to shale gas.

Nicholas Newman http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Freelance-Journalist.html

EU Commissioner has declared that it is investigating how the European Commission can apply its strict Environmental regime to Europe’s infant shale gas industry. The EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger seeks to create a common set of European wide standards to regulate the safety and environmental issues that face policy makers and regulators concerned with the development of shale gas. Such a common set of standards would the Commissioner hope promote a high level of environmental security, safety and energy independence.

Such ambitions have caused serious concern to the Polish government, with September 30, Maciej Olex-Szczytowski, a special adviser on economics and business to Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the country would veto any new EU legislation. Poland is concerned that such proposals would handicap its ambitions to  develope the country’s estimated 5.3 trillion cubic metres of shale gas.EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has announced that his proposals should be ready for consideration by member states in Spring 2012.

 However, despite Poland’s concerns many of Europe’s investors in shale gas E&P would welcome the Commission’s moves to create a European common set of standards to apply to the industry, rather than the rather chaotic situation where every member state has its own set of regulations. http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Energy-Features.html