Protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic, OSPAR Convention 1997: storage of carbon dioxide streams in geological formations (amend. Annexes II and III)

The European Parliament adopted by 624 votes to 30 with 14 abstentions, a legislative resolution amending, under the consultation procedure, the proposal for a Council decision concerning the approval on behalf of the European Community, of the Amendments of Annex II and Annex III to the Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) in relation to the storage of carbon dioxide streams in geological formations.

It adds the following recitals:

• the Community has recently adopted Directive 2009/31/EC under which the geological storage of carbon dioxide should be pursued provided that it obtains private, national and Community support and proves to be an environmentally safe technology. It should also be kept continuously under review from an environmental and safety perspective, and should not, in any way, serve as an incentive to increase the use of fossil fuel;
• shared Community and Member States’ competence, combined with the principle of unity in the international representation of the Community, favours joint action for simultaneous deposition of instruments of approval of the amendments by the Community and by those of its Member States which are Contracting Parties to the Convention;
• Member States which are Contracting Parties to the Convention shall endeavour to take the necessary steps with a view to depositing their instruments of ratification or approval simultaneously with those of the EC and the other Member States and as far as possible not later than 1 June 2010.