EU gets tougher on offshore drilling

TOUGHER safety laws for oil and gas companies operating offshore in Europe are on the cards later this year in the wake of the BP oil spill, the European Commission has said.

A final decision on proposals for EU-wide legislation will be made in the wake of talks at commission headquarters in Brussels yesterday between industry representatives and Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger – the second since the spill.

The commission called for reinforced security measures at the first meeting in May, when all major oil and gas companies were asked by Oettinger to fill out a 12-point questionnaire, indicating in detail the measures they are already taking.