The European Parliament plenary will cast a crucial vote on the updated list of ‘Projects of Common Interest’ (PCI) – a list that determines the energy infrastructure projects that will receive support from the EU. Friends of the Earth Europe urges the Parliament to reject the current PCI list due to its inclusion of two fossil gas mega projects, as well as initiatives that rely on unproven, costly, or polluting hydrogen and carbon capture and storage technologies.
On the proposed list, exemptions have been carved out for Malta and Cyprus to allow for gas infrastructure projects. At a time when the climate crisis demands Europe starts decommissioning its gas infrastructure, continuing to invest in new gas infrastructure is a reckless step in the wrong direction.
The proposed projects, the Melita (Malta) and EastMed (Cyprus) pipelines respectively, will lock countries into gas dependence, and endanger their green transition. Additionally, both these projects are marked by severe scandals, including the murder of the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The EU can not turn a blind eye to the harm these gas megaprojects are causing.
Colin Roche, climate justice and energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, said
“Europe won’t be able to reach its climate goals and protect people from the worst effects of the climate crisis unless we finally cut our dependence on fossil fuels and focus our efforts on cheap, reliable renewables. It is scandalous that the EU is still, in 2024, feeding the flames of climate disaster by backing new fossil fuel projects, when the world is already in midst of devastating climate impacts. The EU is talking about fossil fuel phaseout but it has yet to match that with action and put a full stop on new gas projects. The European Parliament should reject these gas projects and demand a fossil-free energy system instead.”
The continued endorsement of fossil fuel projects within the PCI list represents a stark contradiction to the urgent need for climate action. Europe risks finding itself further on a trajectory of fossil fuel dependence for decades to come, undermining efforts to achieve the vital transition to renewable energy. Friends of the Earth Europe calls on Members of the European Parliament to demonstrate their commitment to climate action by rejecting the current PCI list.
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Gas
Stopping climate breakdown means keeping all fossil fuels in the ground – including gas. Governments and banks must stop financing gas pipelines and terminals which would lock us into a fossil-fuel future.
