Dear participants of the 9th of November 5th PCI list High-Level Decision-Making meeting We, over 100 civil society organisations from across Europe are writing to you concerning the upcoming 5th list of Projects of Common Interest (PCI list) High-Level DecisionMaking Meeting taking place on the 9th of November.
We are aware that on this occasion decision-makers will discuss – to the exclusion of the public – the projects to be included on the 5th PCI list which will be published later in November. We are highly concerned about the plans to include fossil gas mega projects on the list, awarding fossil fuel infrastructure a top EU priority label and making these projects eligible for public financing.
The world is at a crossroads today, with a closing window of opportunity to act and prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. This summer across Europe we saw raging wildfires, as well as deadly floods and devastating storms – reminding us that climate change is already happening in front of our eyes. This is not a future threat, this is a present reality, impacting the lives of citizens all across Europe, and more widely, the world. Please take a few moments to bear this in mind as you draw up a list of infrastructure projects that, if they include fossil gas, will fuel, not fix, this crisis.
We need to act now, and move rapidly away from all fossil fuels. Adopting yet another fossil fuel priority list with the 5th PCI list also counteracts both the Paris Climate Agreement and heavily undermines the European Green Deal.
We clearly cannot afford to further expand the EU’s gas infrastructure with fossil gas mega projects that are not needed1 , risk creating costly stranded assets, and fueling further conflicts. These projects lock us into further decades of dependence on fossil gas which costs the climate, and as proven by the recent energy prices spike, costs consumers dearly too – exacerbating energy poverty, and the impact on the already energy poor. Europe is being handed the bill to pay for delayed action towards a just transition, increasing energy efficiency measures and rolling out cheap renewable energy generation.2
A 5th PCI list that includes mega projects such as Poseidon, Baltic Pipe, BRUA and EastMed pipelines as well as expansion projects all along the Southern Gas Corridor and LNG terminals in Greece and Croatia does not act in the “common interest” of Europeans. Instead, if all the proposed gas PCI projects were built, they would cost over €30 billion, with close to 1 The Artelys study showed already during the drafting of the current 4th PCI list, that there is no need for new gas infrastructure in order to ensure security of supply 2 To MEPs in Strasbourg European Commission Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans highlighted in September that “had we had the Green Deal five years earlier, we would not be in this position because then we would have less dependence on fossil fuels and on natural gas”. €800 million required year after year to operate this infrastructure.3 That’s over €30 billion not being spent on a transition to a clean, fair, future.
There is a powerful, and growing resistance against these PCI gas projects. Both the public consultations on the 4th and the 5th PCI list candidates saw over 99% and 96% of the respondents respectively opposing further support for fossil gas projects.4 Still, the highly intransparent process of defining PCIs, which mirrors many requests by the fossil gas industry rather than the demands of citizens, led to dozens of fossil fuel projects on the priority list in the previous round. European citizens are therefore relying on you to show climate leadership and we ask that you act on behalf of European citizens, not the gas industry.
You have a chance, at the upcoming meeting, to stop the expansion of the fossil gas grid and further billions channeled into the fossil fuel sector. We call on you to stand up for a 5th PCI list free from fossil gas on November 9th. Kind regards, Frida Kieninger, Food & Water Action Europe Eilidh Robb, Friends of the Earth Europe
Kind regards, Frida Kieninger, Food & Water Action Europe Eilidh Robb, Friends of the Earth Europe
List of signatories:
Europe and International CEE Bankwatch Network
- List of signatories:
- Europe and International CEE Bankwatch Network
- ClientEarth
- Climate Action Network
- Europe Europe Beyond
- Coal European Environmental Bureau
- Global Witness Greenpeace EU
- Transport & Environment
- Organisations in EU member states
- GLOBAL 2000 Austria
- Za Zemiata Friends of the Earth Bulgaria Bulgaria
- Grup de Cientifics i Tècnics per un Futur No Nuclear
- Catalonia/Spain Zeleni Osijek Croatia
- Zelena akcija/FoE Croatia Croatia
- Croatian Society for Birds and Nature Protection Croatia Pan,
- Association for Environment and Nature protection Croatia
- Friends of the Earth Cyprus Cyprus Avli Cyprus
- Centre for Transport and Energy Czech Republic
- NOAH – Friends of the Earth Denmark Denmark Baltic Pipe Nejtak! Denmark
- Estonian Green Movement Estonia
- Maan ystävät ry/ Friends of Earth Finland Finland
- Hiilivapaa Suomi, Coal-free Finland Finland
- Andy Gheorghiu Consulting Germany
- Urgewald Germany Fossil Free Berlin Germany
- Parents for Future Berlin Germany
- Parents for Future Oberhavel Germany
- Christians for Future Brandenburg Germany
- Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. Germany
- Gastivists Greece
- Greece Environmental Team of University of Macedonia Greece
- Οικόπολις, μια παράλληλη πόλη – ECOpolis, social center Greece
- Fridays for Future Thessaloniki Greece
- Περιβαλλοντική Ομάδα ΑΠΘ- AUTH Environmental Team Greece
- Οικολογικη Κινηση Θεσσαλονικης – Ecological Movement of Thessaloniki Greece
- Friends of the Earth Ireland Ireland
- AltroModo Flegreo Pozzuoli Italy
- ARCI “Biblioteca di Sarajevo” – Maglie (LE) Italy Ass. Zerolive Italy
- Associazione Bianca Guidetti Serra Italy
- Associazione FOllereau Italiana Dirittiamoci Italy
- Associazione Laudato si’ – Un’alleanza per il clima, la Terra e la giustizia sociale Italy
- Associazione Medici per l’Ambiente – ISDE Italia ODV Italy Associazione Salute Pubblica Italy
- Campagna Per il Clima Fuori dal Fossile Italy
- Casa dei Circoli, Culture e Popoli, Ceriale (SV) Italy
- Città Futura Italy Cittadini e Lavoratori Liberi e Pensanti Taranto Italy
- Club Europea Terza Rivoluzione Industriale Italy
- Collettivo Autonomo del Porto Civitavecchia Italy
- Comitati Cittadini per l’Ambiente -Sulmona Italy
- Comitato Foresta Foresta Italy
- Comitato I Gabbiani del Parco di Costa Ripagnola Italy
- Comitato la Goccia – Milano Italy
- Comitato Milanese Acquapubblica Italy
- Comitato No Compostaggio Erchie Italy
- Comitato No Devastazioni Territoriali Italy
- Comitato Sole Civitavecchia Italy Comitato Verde Santa Rosa – Lecce Italy
- Coord. Ravennate Per il Clima Fuori dal Fossile Italy
- Coordinamento Civico Ambiente e Salute – Salento Italy
- Coordinamento Nazionale No Triv Italy Coordinamento No SNAM Italy
- Donne per la terra Italy Ecoistituto della Valle del Ticino Italy
- Ecor.Network Italy Emergenzaclimatica.it Italy FAIR social cooperative Italy
- Forum Ambientalista Italy Forum ambiente salute lecce Italy
- Fridays For Future Castelfranco Emilia Italy
- Gastivists Italy Italy
- Medicina Democratica Onlus Italy
- Movimento No TAP/SNAM Brindisi Italy
- No al Fossile Civitavecchia Italy
- NO Rigass Calabria Italy
- Orsa Pro Natura Peligna Italy
- Parents For Future Italy
- Parents For Future Castelfranco Emilia Italy
- Parents For Future Italia Italy
- ReCommon Italy Spazio Solidale Civitavecchia Italy
- TerraBlu Odv Italy
- Trivelle Zero Marche Italy
- Trivelle Zero Molise Italy
- WWF Brindisi Onlus Italy
- Zero Waste – Reggion Emilia Val d’Enza Italy
- Stowarzyszenie Pracownia na rzecz Wszystkich Istot Poland
- Gastivists Poland Poland
- FOTA4Climate Poland
- Fundacja Otwarty Plan Poland
- Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczne EKO-UNIA Poland
- Fundacja „Rozwój Tak – Odkrywki Nie” Poland
- Fundacja WWF Polska (WWF Poland) Poland
- Alliance of Associations Polish
- Green Network Poland
- Institute for Sustainable Development Poland
- Climáximo Portugal Bankwatch România
- Romania Friends of the Earth Spain
- Fossil Free Sverige Sweden
