Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the effectiveness of Recommendation 2014/70/EU on minimum principles for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons (such as shale gas) using high-volume hydraulic fracturing

In January 2014, the Commission adopted a Communication and a Recommendation on the exploration and production of hydrocarbons (such as shale gas) using high-volume hydraulic fracturing (HVHF). As a complement to existing EU legislation, the Recommendation lays down minimum principles for such activities, with a view to help safeguarding public health, the climate and the environment, using resources efficiently and informing the public. Member States that had chosen to carry out such activities were asked to give effect to the Recommendation by 28 July 2014. The Recommendation proposed that the Commission should review its effectiveness 18 months after its publication.

This review assesses the effectiveness of the Recommendation in:
- preventing, managing and reducing environmental impacts and risks;
- providing competent authorities and operators with legal certainty and predictability;
- responding to public concerns; and
- taking account of technical progress and of the use of techniques other than HVHF.

Member States were asked to inform the Commission of the measures they had put in place in response to the Recommendation in 2014 and 2015.

The review was supported by the following studies and consultation processes:
- a study on the application of the Recommendation and relevant EU legislation, including interviews with stakeholders;
- studies on the management of environmental impacts and risks of oil and gas extraction using enhanced recovery techniques, as well as of tight gas, tight oil and coalbed methane extraction;
- a stakeholder event on unconventional fossil fuels;
- a Flash Eurobarometer survey, which examined citizens’ attitudes in European regions where shale gas projects have been granted permits or may be planned; and
- feedback from Member States in meetings of the technical working group on environmental aspects of unconventional fossil fuels.

Politico, 20.02.17: Last stand for Europe’s shale revolution http://www.politico.eu/article/british-shale-hopes-encounter-persistent-protesters/

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