Brussels, 12th July 2010. In a letter to Commissioner Günther Oettinger, environmental NGOs have called for a moratorium on all new offshore oil exploitation projects in European waters.

The letter to the Commissioner picked up on several key areas of concern that have arised as a result of the Gulf of Mexico disaster, and in particular: the environmental impacts of offshore oil platforms; the lack of a legal basis for anticipating catastrophes; the lack of operational means for crisis management; and that responsible parties are not held liable.

The letter was coordinated by Surfrider Foundation Europe and co-signed by Seas At Risk, Legambiente, France Nature Environnement and Waddenvereniging.

Photo by NASA Earth Observatory/Marine Photobank