EN Official Journal of the European Union C 180/20

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

(Notice regarding an application to extend the exclusive licence to prospect for oil and gas, designated the ‘Permis de la Moselle’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 180/10)

On 17 January 2007, East Paris Petroleum Development Ltd., with its registered office at Wembley Point, 1 Harrow Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 6DE (United Kingdom) applied for an exclusive five-year licence, designated the ‘Permis de la Moselle’, to prospect for oil and gas in an area of approximately 6 011 km2 covering part of the departments of Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges. The application was amended on 13 March 2007.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence consists of the meridian and parallel arcs connecting in turn the points defined below by their geographical coordinates, the original meridian being that of Paris.

Points Longitude Latitude A 4,60° E 54,60° N B 3,90° E 54,60° N C 3,90° E 54,50° N D 3,70° E 54,50° N E 3,70° E 53,90° N F 4,00° E 53,90° N G 4,00° E 53,80° N H 5,00° E 53,80° N I 5,00° E 54,00° N J 5,20° E 54,00° N K 5,20° E 54,30° N L 5,10° E 54,30° N M 5,10° E 54,40° N N 5,00° E 54,40° N O 5,00° E 54,30° N P 4,70° E 54,30° N Q 4,70° E 54,20° N R 4,50° E 54,20° N S 4,50° E 54,30° N T 4,60° E 54,30° N U 4,60° E 54,40° N V 4,50° E 54,40° N W 4,50° E 54,50° N X 4,60° E 54,50° N

The following are excluded:

The perimeter of the Forcelles concession (20 km2)

Points Longitude Latitude AA 4,60° E 53,85° N AB 4,14° E 53,85° N AC 4,14° E 53,84° N AD 4,12° E 53,84° N AE 4,12° E 53,81° N AF 4,20° E 53,81° N

Submission of applications

The initial applicant and competing applicants must prove that they meet the requirements for obtaining the licence, as specified in Articles 4, 5 and 6 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 concerning mining rights and underground storage rights (French Official Journal of 3 June 2006).

Interested companies may, within a period of 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, p. 11, and established by Decree No 2006-648 concerning mining rights and underground storage rights. Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below. Decisions on the initial application and competing applications will be taken within two years of the date on which the French authorities received the initial application, i.e. by 17 January 2009 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 2006-649 of 2 June 2006 on mining and underground storage operations and the regulations governing mining and underground storage (French Official Journal of 3 June 2006).

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 (telephone (33) 144 97 23 02, fax (33) 144 97 05 70).

The abovementioned laws and regulations can be consulted at:

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr