OilPrice.com reports, “On 4 October the European Commission proposed that oil sands crude be ranked as a dirtier source of fuel compared with oil from conventional wells. …A bill containing a fuel-quality directive (FQD) targeting oil sands imports is due to be presented to the European Parliament for a vote later this year.”
Though a date has not been specified for the vote yet, the European Parliament meets in full later this year on October 24-27, November 14-17, November 30, December 1, and December 12-15, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/general/cal2011.pdf.
“The move has unsettled Ottawa, as all of the world’s oil sands reserves are in northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. …Ottawa is now threatening to retaliate in the area of Canadian-EU bilateral trade, a not insignificant concern, as last year the EU imported about $26.8 billion of Canadian goods, while Canada took roughly $35.6 billion of EU imports.”
“Canadian Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver…thundered against the European Union, saying the action would be ‘discriminatory’ and could trigger a challenge before the World Trade Organization, adding, ‘Should the European Union implement unjustified measures which discriminate against the oil sands, we won’t hesitate to defend our interests. They are doing it believing, apparently, that there is no downside.'”
A UK Tar Sands Network media release this morning states, “Protesters interrupted the Canada-Europe Energy Round table in London today, to expose the UK government’s opposition to European legislation, which would label tar sands oil as highly polluting. The campaigners stripped down to Union Jack boxers and maple leaf underwear and covered each other with oil while kissing and groping in a provocative ‘oil orgy’. …Since Prime Minister Cameron’s visit to Canada last month, the UK government has been echoing the position of the Canadian government that the EU is ‘unfairly discriminating’ against the Canadian tar sands. Contrary to Canada’s claims that the Fuel Quality Directive will discriminate against the tar sands, the current FQD proposal also includes values for other unconventional oil feed stocks, such as shale oil.”
The Council of Canadians supports the EFQD and is asking all Members of the European Parliament to back the European Commission’s recommendation on this matter. We oppose the Harper government’s intention to challenge the EFQD through the World Trade Organization.
