Hydraulic fracturing - fracking

Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a type of drilling in which rock is fractured by pressurised water containing chemicals (about 2%) and sand in order to tap oil and gas that were trapped in shale formations.

The anti-fracking movement

The anti-fracking movement has succeeded in gathering widespread popular and local support in its resistance to fracking. Its influence on decision making so far however appears to be somewhat limited given the lack of EU regulation to date. Worryingly, Friends of the Earth state that according to information obtained through access-to-document requests, EU decision-makers have had ten times as many meetings with the fracking industry compared to organisations presenting citizens’ interests.