EN Official Journal of the European Union C 33/7

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 liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons, entitled ‘Permis de Soufflenheim’)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2007/C 33/05)

By request of 10 April 2006, the Millenium Geo-Venture company, with registered offices at 1 rue Louis Pasteur 92100 Boulogne Billancourt (France), applied for an exclusive four-year licence, entitled ‘Permis de Soufflenheim’, to prospect for liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in an area of approximately 200 km2 covering part of the Department of Bas-Rhin.

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

A 6.30 degrees E 54.30 degrees N B Intersection of the meridian 6.30 degrees E with the dividing line between France and Germany C Intersection of parallel 54.10 degrees N with the dividing line between France and Germany D 6.10 degrees E 54.10 degrees N E Intersection of the meridian 6.10 degrees E with the southern boundary of the Pechelbronn concession F Intersection of parallel 54.30 degrees N with the eastern boundary of the Pechelbronn concession B to C Dividing line between France and Germany E to F Boundary of the Pechelbronn concession

Submission of applications and criteria for awarding rights

The initial applicant and competing applicants must meet the requirements specified in Articles 3 and 4 of Decree No 95-427 of 19 April 1995, as amended, concerning mining rights (Journal officiel de la République française of 22 April 1995), as kept in force by Article 63 of Decree No 2006-648 of 2 June 2006 on mining rights and underground storage rights.

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 amended Decree No 95-427 of 19 April 1995. Competing applications must be sent to the Minister responsible for mines at the address below.

The decisions on the initial application and the competing applications will be based on the criteria governing the award of mining rights, as set out in Article 5 of the said Decree, and will be taken within two years of the date on which the French authorities received the initial application, i.e. by 10 April 2008 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 regulations governing them (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 [Tel. (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

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