Leaked Documents Reveal G8 Dispute Over Oil And Big Business Liability
April 24, 2003
Leaked Documents Reveal G8 Dispute
Over Oil And Big Business Liability
April 24, 2003 - Paris, France / Tokyo, Japan -- Leaked documents from
the 'Group of 8' (G8) exposing a dispute between G8 ministers over liability
of big business for oil spills were released by Friends of the Earth International
today. [1]
The controversy emerges on the eve environment ministers from the G8 [2]
sit down in Paris to agree upon their contribution to the G8 heads of
government summit in June. The meeting of G8 environment ministers is
from April 25 to 27.
Some of the G8 countries are proposing and supporting 'strengthening'
of the ineffectual liability regime that has allowed oil multinationals
to get away with disasters such as the Erika and Prestige oil tanker spills
in recent years.
But Japan is opposing the new proposals. Both the Erika and the Prestige
oil tankers were originally manufactured in Japan.
The leaked documents released today (comments by Japan and Italy on the
G8 Environment Ministers Meeting Communiqué) show that the Japanese government
is seeking to weaken every commitment the G8 environment ministers intend
to take on maritime transport.
The dispute puts the issue of the conduct of multinationals centre stage
at the G8 - with the topic of corporate social responsibility already
planned as a major theme of the G8 heads of government summit in June.
The issue has been placed on the agenda following the oil spill off the
coast of Galicia, Spain when the Prestige oil tanker sank. The Spanish
government has announced that so far the spill has cost 1bn. Under the
present liability regime the maximum available to victims of the spill
is (up to) 164.43m (USD180m) and that does not cover environmental liabilities.
The Japanese are even refusing to take action, for example, to ban single-hulled
tankers carrying heavy fuel oil from their ports.
Friends of the Earth has criticised the oil spill liability regime because
it has resulted in oil companies chartering unsuitable vessels because
they, and the shipping corporations, do not carry the full risk of transporting
their cargo. Instead the risk is born by taxpayers, communities such as
the Galician fishers affected by the Prestige spill and the environment.
The G8 environment ministers are meeting in preparation for the G8 heads
of government Summit in Evian, France on 1 June. The Summit has put corporate
responsibility high on its agenda. Today's leaked documents indicate an
initiative will also be agreed on maritime transport. However, the Japanese
comments suggest that not much concrete will result.
According to Hélène Ballande of Friends of the Earth France:
"While the oil from the Prestige and Erika spills lapped the coastline
of Galicia and Brittany, the oil multinationals were holding their hands
up saying they had nothing to do with them. We need real rules that hold
multinationals liable for bad practices like hiring unsuitable ships for
their dangerous cargo."
"The G8 countries are home to most of the world's multinationals. These
governments are the most responsible for exploitation of the world's resources
and must deliver rights for communities to redress environmental crimes
by multinationals," Ballande added.
"Environment ministers meeting in Paris must show their commitment by
making their oil-spilling multinationals pay for destruction," she concluded.
Notes To Editors:
[1] The leaked documents released today by Friends of
the Earth International are the comments by Japan and Italy on the G8
Environment Ministers Meeting Communiqué. They are available for the media
in English as a '.doc' file via email from any of the contacts below.
[2] The G8 (Group of 8) is the powerful group of eight
countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom
and the United States) that meet each year to discuss broad economic and
foreign policies.
For more information please contact:
Hélène Ballande
Friends of the Earth France, in Paris (FRANCE)
Ph: +33-1-4851 3222
Matt Phillips
Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland in London (UK)
Ph: +44-207566 1660