Article 1

For the purposes of this Directive: ‘competent authorities’ means the public authorities, as defined in Article 1 (1) of Directive 90/531/EEC, which are responsible for granting authorization and/or monitoring use thereof; ‘entity’ means any natural or legal person or any group of such persons which applies for, is likely to apply for or holds an authorization; ‘authorization’ means any law, regulation, administrative or contractual provision or instrument issued thereunder by which the competent authorities of a Member State entitle an entity to exercise, on its own behalf and at its own risk, the exclusive right to prospect or explore for or produce hydrocarbons in a geographical area. An authorization may be granted for each activity separately or for several activities at a time; ‘public entity’ means a public undertaking as defined in Article 1 (2) of Directive 90/531/EEC.

← preamble_3 · All articles · art_1__text_1 →

Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-10-30 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.