EAA adopts new position statement on Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE)

The EAA calls for:

1. Licenses to operate offshore wind turbines shall be for a limited time (25 years) and after that, require renegotiation with affected member states and stakeholder organisations.
2. Win-win solutions shall be prioritised e.g. built in fish sheltering and nursery functionality to support fish recruitment and replenishment. Ecosystem conditions and services rendered to co-users should be taken into account when considering lease extensions or site remediation obligations.
3. Windfarms should be accessible and open to recreational anglers (rod and line fishers) during production and after decommissioning, while adhering to the rules valid for navigating and conduct in offshore wind farms (example: Denmark1).
4. Funding is needed to restore damages, to invest in a plus for biodiversity according to the biodiversity net gain principle, to compensate disadvantaged (prior) users and specifically:
   1. Angler education programmes to support fishing in offshore wind farms.
   2. Environmental mitigation measures should be included in all projects to protect and improve the biotope and fish stocks,both in and outside of wind farms. Such measures should compensate for damage during the creation, operation and removal of offshore wind turbines.
      
   3. To the extent that negative impacts are known, these should be properly managed right from the project start.
   4. Together with other (public) funding, extensive scientific research in this area is required. This is underlined by the ’23 report of the European Court of auditors that highlights the risks of a large scale rollout while many risks are still uncertain at this point.
   5. To establish reliable ecological baseline data well before any construction activities start, extensive monitoring should begin as soon as an area has been designated for wind park construction.
   6. New insights on the effects of offshore wind may impact lease terms and in extreme cases, the lease period. Co-use management may likewise be influenced by ongoing insights.