VILNIUS - Despite the imminent danger posed to the Curonian Spit by Russia's D-6 oil field in the Baltic Sea, it is unlikely that UNESCO officials will add it to their World Heritage in Danger List next month.
Social Liberal MP Gediminas Jakavonis told reporters this week that Russia, acting under pressure from international organizations, handed over a signed joint-evaluation agreement on the D-6 oil field's environmental effects last week. He added that a draft of the evaluation, arranged by Lithuanian specialists, would be carried out by June of this year.
"The evaluation process, which would have to involve UNESCO experts, could start as early as January," the parliamentarian said.
In the summer of 2004, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee expressed concern over exploitation of the D-6 field. Lukoil-Kaliningradmorneft, a subsidiary of Lukoil, Russia's largest oil producer, began drilling at D-6 in July 2004 without having conducted the abovementioned environmental evaluation. The field is situated in Russia's territorial waters some 22 kilometers from the Curonian Spit.
The UNESCO committee later decided if a Lithuanian-Russian agreement was not signed, the Curonian Spit would be included in the danger list as of Feb. 1, 2005.
However, since Russia has signed the agreement, the Curonian Spit will most probably not be included on a list, Jakavonis said.
An expert discussion on the D-6 deposit was held at the committee on the environment, agriculture and local and regional affairs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Jan. 25. Russian MPs and a Lukoil representative attended the meeting.
Jakavonis, a member of Lithuania's parliamentary committee on environmental protection who presented his country's position, said that the issue of damage compensation was not stipulated in the draft, as neither Lithuania nor Russia has joined the Lugansk Convention.
Membership would require Russia to pay compensation for environmental damages to Lithuania in case of an accident. Now the issue will have to be considered at the ministerial level.
Lithuania is concerned that possible oil spills at the D-6 deposit could destroy the Curonian Spit's ecosystem, which is unlike any other in the world.
