“The majority of the public is against Adriatic oil drilling. Tourism is much more important and this project is simply not acceptable.”
- Minister of Economy, Croatia
If you had asked us over 3 years ago...when we first launched the Clean Adriatic Sea Alliance online and crafted the first international petition to stop oil and gas drilling in the Croatian Adriatic Sea shortly thereafter with the hard work of dedicated volunteers,...if we would have taken the quotes above, from Croatia’s Minister of Economy as a positive outcome, we would have nodded our heads vigorously in the affirmative.
Today, however, we digest the Minister of Economy's comments with a large dose of skepticism as it is incredibly difficult to gauge the energy policy of the government with its current lack of order and its hasty decision to go forward with Slavonian hydrocarbon drilling.
Slavonia shown in purple. But, the drilling area is slightly larger extending to the northwest.
So first, some healthy caution.
If Croatia has gone forward with equally risk-filled Slavonian drilling contracts in a matter of days, how would the Adriatic be safe from similar haste?
The Minister’s comments only mention oil. Does that mean gas is still on the table? ALL fossil fuels must be transitioned to renewables and we will continue to push for a permanent ban on oil AND gas drilling in the Adriatic Sea. **
That being said, the celebratory posts we see from friends in the #NoAdriaticDrilling movement on the Economy Minister’s recent quotes certainly have their place. A moment to acknowledge the great progress that has been made is important within one key factor.
The power of the people.
Even if the Minister’s comments, that “the public is against it” were for political reasons, the raising of public awareness and voices, has made a great difference!
Now let’s harness that momentum and support our neighbors in Slavonia in their effort to cancel the flawed onshore drilling agreements.
Thank you for your ongoing support of a clean energy future and a permanent ban on hydrocarbon drilling in the Adriatic.
- Link to Jutarnji List article screenshot (in Croatian):
(Hvala NAŠ Jadran)
** The same exploration platforms are used in drilling for oil and gas, therefore the impact on the environment is virtually exactly the same.