It is not every day that Norwegian politics constitutes a separate program item when the EU Parliament gathers for a plenary debate. Today it happened, when EU Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski presented the EU Commission’s view that Norway will now open up mineral extraction on the seabed. It was just before Christmas that the government secured a majority for its mineral plans with the help of the Conservative Party and the Progress Party. The decision is highly controversial and was met with major protests. Now criticism is also coming from the EU: – We are very concerned about Norway’s decision and the consequences it could have, not least for the fish population in the area, said the commissioner. Janusz Wojciechowski is worried about Norway’s plans. Photo: AP He emphasized that although Norway has the right to make sovereign decisions, it is not the case that nature relates to national borders. – We recommend a ban until it is scientifically proven that this is not harmful. We still have limited knowledge about the effect that mineral extraction has on marine ecosystems, said Wojciechowski. The Norwegian authorities disagree with the criticism. You will find the answer at the bottom of the case. – Defeat for future generations The area the government wants to open up for exploration is 281,000 square kilometers and lies in the Barents Sea and the Greenland Sea. That the consequences of possible mineral extraction will not only have consequences for Norway was a point emphasized by several of the EU parliamentarians in the debate that followed. Criticism and calls for Norway to wait came both from the conservatives, social democrats and centrist parties, while it was green politicians who came up with the strongest formulations. – A major defeat for future generations, said French MEP Caroline Roose, who called for further fighting against Norway. – We can still stop this destructive project. A sample from a research trip on the Norwegian continental shelf shows sparkling minerals that the researchers can analyse. Photo: Milana Knežević / news – Race to the bottom Another French politician, Francois Thiollet, called Norway’s position “a scandal”. The Dutch EU parliamentarian Anja Hazekamp believed that Norway’s decision would set a devastating example for others: – This could start a global race to the bottom, literally. Mick Wallace from Ireland was also relatively clear in his criticism: – If we don’t stop this, Norway will go down in history as the country that destroyed the seabed in the world. Norway also received support, including from the Sweden Democrats’ representative Johan Nissenen: – It is intellectually dishonest to criticize Norway. Where else are we going to get the minerals we need from? China? Norway’s decision to open up for minerals on the deep seabed met with criticism in Strasbourg today. Photo: AFP – Embarrassed to be Norwegian Greenpeace, which has been active in the protests against the Norwegian decision, believed that Norway got what it deserved today. – Today it is embarrassing to be Norwegian. The EU’s members of parliament come with crushing, and well-deserved, criticism of Norway in this case, says Haldis Tjeldflaat Helle, expert advisor for seabed mining at Greenpeace Norway in a statement. She believes that Norwegian politicians cannot expect to be taken seriously when they ignore the warnings from a collective professional environment and allow for the destruction of nature in our last untouched wilderness. – The Norwegian greenwashing of mining on the seabed was completely exposed in the European Parliament, says the statement from the Greenpeace expert advisor. This sponge bed is a vulnerable marine ecosystem, in an area identified by the government as relevant for the search for minerals. Center for Deep Sea Research, UIB – Does not agree The Norwegian authorities reply that all activity will be in line with Norway’s international obligations for managing the sea, including them the Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Biological Diversity. – I understand the skepticism if it created an impression that we are going to open for extraction now. However, that is not true. The decision in the Storting sets out that Norway will have a step-by-step, knowledge-based approach where consideration for the environment will be taken care of in all phases of the business, says State Secretary Astrid Bergmål (Ap) in the Ministry of Energy. The opening means that companies can apply for permission to map and look for minerals, not to extract them, she says. – Such activity will only have small environmental effects, but will contribute to important knowledge and competence building. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB The government also believes that Norway should investigate whether we can contribute more to cover the world’s large mineral needs in a responsible way. – The world needs minerals in the transition to a low-emission society. Today, minerals are extracted in countries that the world does not want to be dependent on, often with worse environmental standards and worker rights than we have in Norway, says Bergemål. Join the mineral race at a depth of several thousand meters here:
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Norway receives sharp criticism in the European Parliament – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
