Fierce Opposition? Heck, EU Lets Fracking in through Back Door
In Europe these days, the pace of legislative change is dizzying, as Brussels continues its blitz-like power grab. Last year saw the birth of the banking union. This year, it’s Energy Union. With the European Commission determined to push through an ambitious consolidation of the continent’s disparate energy sectors, the coming months and years promise to be highly lucrative for energy lobbyists – particularly those representing the fracking industry.
For the public, the Commission talks up Europe’s renewable energy credentials. Behind the scenes, it is teasing open the back door to fracking, despite overwhelming public opposition across Europe.
This is the finding of a new report on the European Science and Technology Network on Unconventional Hydrocarbon Extraction, otherwise known as “The Network.” The study was published jointly by Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) and Friends of the Earth.
The Commission launched the Network in 2014 with the official aim of “bringing together all relevant stakeholders (practitioners from industry, research, academic as well as civil society) to foster a common understanding on unconventional hydrocarbons.” A closer look, however, reveals the Network as a Commission-funded lobby vehicle whose ultimate aim is to drive the industry’s expansion across Europe.
The Fracking Revolution Crosses the Atlantic
As the Guardian recently reported, America’s shale revolution has had a huge impact not only at home but far beyond U.S. shores, including by providing a bonanza for the fracking lobbies in Brussels:
From shale to climate-change policies, from car exhaust rules to renewables, from carbon-capture technologies to carbon-trading schemes, the energy lobby is highly active and successful in Brussels, with companies such as BP and Shell maintaining big operations aimed at shaping policy.
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