Article 4 General principles

All activities in the Protocol Area, including erection on site of installations, shall be subject to the prior written authorisation for exploration or exploitation from the competent authority. Such authority, before granting the authorisation, shall be satisfied that the installation has been constructed according to international standards and practice and that the operator has the technical competence and the financial capacity to carry out the activities. Such authorisation shall be granted in accordance with the appropriate procedure, as defined by the competent authority.

Authorisation shall be refused if there are indications that the proposed activities are likely to cause significant adverse effects on the environment that could not be avoided by compliance with the conditions laid down in the authorisation and referred to in Article 6, paragraph 3, of this Protocol.

When considering approval of the siting of an installation, the Contracting Party shall ensure that no detrimental effects will be caused to existing facilities by such siting, in particular, to pipelines and cables.