Final hour before drilling starts

The carrying out of offshore drilling off Corfu for the exploration of potentially exploitable hydrocarbons is not a new matter. The discussions held the day before yesterday between the state management company and representatives of the local authorities were, more or less, confined to charts and statements of principle. However, valuable time has already been lost, with faits accomplis being created and with the risk that, at the end of the day, “whatever you decide” will be accepted by local stakeholders. (Note: Didn’t something similar happen with the ratification of the contract for the large-yacht marina at the port?)

The period that elapsed prior to the contractualisation of the exploratory drillings was the most critical for safeguarding the interests of the local community and protecting the environment. It passed unnoticed and uncontested. From now on, this is no longer a dialogue from a zero base, but rather the thorny process of shaping the terms of the Environmental Terms Approval Decision (AEPO), without which drilling cannot take place. Within this framework, all claims of local communities can be incorporated — not exclusively references to international environmental protection provisions.

In 2017, the Ionian Islands Regional Council issued an opinion on the Strategic Environmental Impact Study (SEIS), which was a prerequisite for the selection of the offshore “blocks” and for the strategic direction of development in the Ionian and Adriatic Seas.

In the next, technical phase — in view of the submission of the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the exploratory drillings — institutional society and local government have substantive work to carry out:

First, during the phase when the EIS is posted on the Electronic Environmental Registry, the Region and the Municipalities must submit a reasoned and technically substantiated opinion. This presupposes commissioning independent scientific advisors (marine ecology, drilling safety, risk management) and holding a public session to formulate a position. The opinion must include explicit and specific proposals for conditions to be incorporated into the AEPO.

Second, compensatory benefits must be quantified and binding, such as:

– Establishment of a Local Infrastructure Fund, with an annual contribution based on turnover or, at a minimum, a fixed amount per project stage, exclusively for water supply projects, flood protection, road safety, and civil protection.

– An environmental guarantee prior to the commencement of drilling, amounting to a specific percentage of the budget, with automatic activation in the event of environmental damage.

– A permanent independent marine environmental monitoring station in the Ionian Sea, with public access to data and co-financing of research institutions.

– A local employment clause (minimum percentage of unskilled and skilled positions) and funding for training programmes.

– A predetermined and fully funded pollution response plan, with clear response times and provision for the use of local resources.

Third, institutional presence and continuous oversight are required. Local government must request the establishment of a Permanent Project Monitoring Committee, with participation of the Regional Authority, the Municipalities, and scientific bodies, with access to operational data and the right to public reporting. At the same time, it must demand explicit reference in the AEPO to cross-border notification and implementation of the Espoo Convention, given the geographic particularity and proximity to other Adriatic coastal countries.

Finally, if the observations of the local authorities are not adequately incorporated, local government must consider the use of the legal remedies provided for under environmental licensing legislation. In 2017 there was briefing and an opinion. The AEPO, when issued, will set the terms. If local institutions and stakeholders are absent, then the ship will have sailed.

GIORGOS KATSAITIS