Commission stops short of calling for a ban on building new platforms.

The European Commission wants oil companies to face more stringent safety and financial barriers before they can get permits for offshore drilling, but has stopped short of calling for a ban on building new platforms.

Günther Oettinger, the European commissioner for energy, today (13 October) said: "Safety is non-negotiable. We have to make sure that a disaster similar to the one in the Gulf of Mexico will never happen in European waters."

He promised that the first-ever EU legislative proposals on oil platforms would be published next year. These would require companies to prove that they have funds to cover the costs of environmental damage in the event of an accident, and to demonstrate that their technical equipment meets the highest-possible standards. The Commission would also like to set up an independent panel of experts to oversee national authorities, to `regulate the regulators', he said.