Will Poland have to share the revenues from the oil and gas discovered in the Baltic Sea? – wonders the German daily Die Welt. The discussion revolves around a historic discovery for Poland, made during drilling operations at the Wolin East-1 site. Previously, the government of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania had… protested against the works.
At the end of April this year, test drilling near the Wolin East-1 site was completed, conducted on behalf of the Canadian company Central European Petroleum. The 70-day operation revealed massive gas reserves – over 16 billion cubic meters. The project was met with opposition from Germany. Till Backhaus, the environment minister of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, criticized the Polish authorities for issuing the license – back in 2017 – and stated that the operations could have environmental consequences.
Despite the protests, the drilling continued, and in July the estimated reserves surpassed expectations. CEP announced that the area contained over 22 million tons of crude oil and condensate, as well as 5 billion cubic meters of commercially viable gas. “This is a historic moment for both Central European Petroleum and Poland’s energy sector,” said the company’s CEO, Rolf G. Skaar. And suddenly, the German protests ceased.
Die Welt reports that the discovered deposits are “partially” located on German territory. “Will Poland have to share the revenues?” the paper asks. It openly states that “this is also German oil and gas,” and cites a response from the Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Tourism, and Labor of Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania.
As an argument for revenue sharing, the paper points to a case from the German-Dutch border, noting that a portion of the profits is transferred to Berlin under an intergovernmental agreement. However, the paper also notes that a revenue-sharing agreement between Poland and Germany “may depend on the interpretation of European Union regulations.”