Communication from the French Government concerning Directive 94/22/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 1994 on the conditions for granting and using authorisations for the prospection, exploration and production of hydrocarbons (1)

(Notice regarding an application for an exclusive licence to prospect for oil and gas, designated the ‘Béarn des Gaves Licence’)

(2006/C 122/05)

(Text with EEA relevance)

By request of 29 September 2005, Europa Oil & Gas plc, with registered offices at 25 Moorgate, London EC2R 6AY (United Kingdom), applied for an exclusive five-year licence, designated the ‘Béarn des Gaves licence’, to prospect for oil and gas in an area of approximately 928 km2 forming part of the departments of Landes and Pyrénées Atlantiques.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence is made up of the meridian and parallel arcs successively joining the points defined below by their geographical coordinates, the original meridian being that of Paris.

Submission of applications

The initial applicant and competing applicants must prove that they comply with the requirements for obtaining the licence, as specified in Articles 3, 4 and 5 of Decree No 95-427 of 19 April 1995, as amended, concerning mining rights.

Interested companies may, within ninety days of the publication of this notice, submit a competing application in accordance with the procedure summarised in the ‘Notice regarding the granting of mining rights for hydrocarbons in France’ published in Official Journal of the European Communities C 374 of 30 December 1994, page 11, and established by Decree No 95-427 of 19 April 1995, as amended, concerning mining rights (Journal officiel de la République française, 22 April 1995).

Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below. Decisions on the initial application and competing applications must be taken within two years of the date on which the French authorities received the initial application, plus extensions for regularisation of the application by the applicant, i.e. by 10 December 2007 at the latest.

Conditions and requirements regarding performance of the activity and cessation thereof

Applicants are referred to Articles 79 and 79(1) of the Mining Code and to Decree No 95-696 of 9 May 1995, as amended, on the start of mining operations and the mining regulations (Journal officiel de la République française, 11 May 1995).

Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Finance and Industry (Directorate-General for Energy and Raw Materials, Directorate for Energy and Mineral Resources, Bureau of Mining Legislation), 61, boulevard Vincent Auriol, Télédoc 133, F-75703 Paris Cedex 13, France, (tel. 144 97 23 02, fax: (33) 144 97 05 70].

The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted at http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr

(1)  OJ L 164, 30.6.1974, p. 3.