BRUSSELS, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- The European community must make sure that a disaster like the Gulf of Mexico oil spill never happens in European waters, the EU energy commissioner said.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar declared Tuesday that it was "appropriate" to end a moratorium on deep-water drilling operations enacted in July.
Washington called for a halt to offshore exploration to make sure adequate safeguards were in place to prevent a repeat of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster that spewed more than 4.5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
The European Commission announced Wednesday that "for the very first time," the European community was envisioning comprehensive legislation that would ensure the highest global safety standards on oil platforms.
"Safety is non-negotiable," said EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger in a statement. "We have to make sure that a disaster similar to the one in the Gulf of Mexico will never happen in European waters."
Oettinger called on EU member states to consider legislation that would require all oil companies to meet EU requirements in the energy sector and to make sure they have the financial means necessary to pay for any damage that results from a oil spill.
Companies would have to clean up and repair any damages caused within 200 nautical miles from European coasts.
Oettinger said a formal proposal could be on the table as early as next year.
