Spain
A human chain of protesters dressed in black marched against the plans for offshore oil exploration in the Canary Islands, on Saturday May 26th, in Lanzarote (see CrisisWatch 2).
According to environmental NGOs, including WWF Spain, the Royal Decree signed in March for the approval of hydrocarbon exploration in the Canaries violates the legislation on environmental impact assessment. The project itself threatens important habitats of protected species, such as the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta, as well as several cetacean and bird species.
On 17 May, WWF Spain challenged before the Supreme Court the Royal Decree (547/2012), which enforces the decree of December 2011 that grants drilling permits to oil giant Repsol.
As a result of the economic crisis,“oil exploration frenzy” has begun in Spain and other countries such as Greece.