Date: 23 June 1995
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LONDON, -- Greenpeace today called on the Oslo and Paris (OSPAR) Commissions to stop marine pollution and ban the legal disposal of oil rigs and platforms at sea at their annual meeting taking place in Brussels from 26 -30 June.
A proposal for the prohibition of the dumping of offshore installations at sea (put forward by Sweden), another on the regulation of the dumping of wastes by military vessels and one on the prohibition of chlorinated paraffins are all up for discussion at the meeting.
This year's meeting is taking place under special circumstances because it takes place:
Only days after Shell reversed its decision to dump the Brent Spar oil platform even as the UK Government continues to oppose the company's decision. A majority of OSPAR member states* as well as the EU Commission have already made it clear to the UK Government that dumping is an unacceptable way of dealing with oil installations and that OSPAR should ban the practice altogether;
Two weeks after the 4th Ministerial North Sea Conference where the majority of governments pledged to ban the dumping of offshore platforms at sea, and where the governments (with the exception of the UK) agreed to cease all discharges and emissions of hazardous substances into the North Sea within 25 years;
A few weeks after Germany decided to cease the production of chlorinated paraffins due to environmental and health impacts, prompting a plan by the UK to increase their own production of this lethal and unnecessary chlorinated product;
"The OSPAR meeting in Brussels is the perfect opportunity for governments to put their words into action", said Greenpeace's delegate to the meeting Remi Parmentier. "Greenpeace is hopeful that they will use their political will to pass bans on the dumping of offshore installations, chlorinated paraffins, military dumping, and to make progress on drawing immediate plans to cease all toxic discharges, as agreed by the North Sea Ministers".
Martin Besieux - Greenpeace Belgium + 322 215 1944 Greenpeace Communications - Malini Morzaria +44 171 833 0600
Greenpeace can be contacted directly at the Palais des Congres from 26-30 June tel. 32-2-513 63 63, Fax. 32-2-513 64 14. (ask for: Remi Parmentier, Kevin Stairs, or Claudia Sieg)
Notes:
the OSPAR Commission is the intergovernmental body that regulates pollution in the North East Atlantic, from the Arctic to Gibraltar. Its members are: Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Iceland, the UK, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the European Union. The Commission adopts decisions and recommendations by a two thirds majority.
the OSPAR Commission has already banned the dumping at sea of industrial wastes, radioactive wastes, and ocean incineration. But it still allows the dumping of offshore installations at sea, and the discharge of toxic and radioactive wastes from land into rivers, estuaries and coastal waters.
Last year Greenpeace detected military vessels from several countries dumping wastes at sea (mainly obsolete ammunition) despite the ban on the dumping of industrial wastes. This has prompted a Dutch proposal this year, to reach agreement that the military are no special case, and that they should abide by the rules of the Commission.
The meeting will be held at the Palais des Congres Hall Dynastie entrance 5 - Coudenberg 3, 1000 Brussels, tel. 32-2-513 63 63, Fax. 32-2-513 64 14.
Information on press accreditation can be obtained from the OSPAR Secretariat at 44-171-242 99 27.