29 March 2011 – Keith and fellow UK Green MEP, Jean Lambert, have written to the Commissioner for Trade raising their concerns about the Canada-EU Trade Agreement negotiations and the issue of tar sands oil.

Oil production from tar sands is more than three times more carbon-intensive than conventional oil production and has an extremely destructive effect on the environment, biodiversity and human health. Keith and Jean have therefore urged the Commissioner to ensure that tar sands oil receives its own specific default value for greenhouse gas emissions in the Fuel Quality Directive so that a carbon-intensity cap is introduced.

In his role as member of the International Trade Committee, Keith believes that it is critical that these issues are raised with the Commission, in order to ensure that negotiations for trade between Canada and the EU are open and transparent, do not challenge environmental legislation and comply with UN standards on indigenous rights.