EN Official Journal of the European Union C 49/4

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 (1)

(Notice regarding an application for an exclusive licence to prospect for oil and gas, designated the ‘Bourdette licence’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2014/C 49/05)

On 18 July 2013, Vermilion REP SAS, a company with registered offices at 1762 route de Pontenx, 40160 Parentis-en-Born (France) applied for an exclusive 5-year licence, designated the ‘Bourdette licence’, to prospect for oil and gas in the Department of Haute-Garonne.

The perimeter of the area covered by this licence consists of the meridian and parallel arcs connecting in turn the points defined below using the statutory RGF 93 reference system (Lambert 93):

Point Longitude Latitude A 00°42′59″ W 43°17′24″ N B 01°04′35″ W 43°17′24″ N C 01°04′35″ W 43°12′00″ N D 00°48′46″ W 43°12′00″ N E 00°47′31″ W 43°13′44″ N F 00°44′11″ W 43°13′44″ N G 00°43′38″ W 43°12′00″ N H 00°43′00″ W 43°12′00″ N

The area as defined above covers approximately 275 km2.

Submission of applications and criteria for awarding rights

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

Interested companies may, within 90 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 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 (as amended) concerning mining rights and underground storage rights (Official Journal of the French Republic, 3 June 2006).

Competing applications must be sent to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy at the address given below. Decisions on the initial application and any competing applications will be taken within 2 years of the date on which the French authorities received the initial application, i.e. by 22 July 2015.

Conditions and requirements regarding performance of the activity and cessation thereof

Applicants are referred to Articles 79 and 79(1) of the French Mining Code and to Decree No 2006-649 of 2 June 2006 (as amended) on mining and underground storage operations and the regulations governing mining and underground storage (Official Journal of the French Republic, 3 June 2006).

Further information can be obtained from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy:

Direction générale de l’énergie et du climat — Direction de l’énergie Bureau exploration et production des hydrocarbures Grande Arche, Paroi Nord 92055 La Défense Cedex FRANCE Tel. +33 140819527

The above mentioned laws and regulations can be consulted on the Légifrance website (http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr).

(1) OJ L 164, 30.6.1994, p. 3.