Global Petroleum Limited announces that two appeals against the Environmental Decrees for its applications in the Southern Adriatic have been rejected by the Administrative Tribunal In Rome. These two appeals are the only ones on which the Tribunal has so far formally ruled and, consequently, Global considers that an important precedent has been set for the court to reject the remaining appeals when they are heard.

Background

The Environmental Decrees ('2016 Decrees') for the two applications (designated d82 F.R-GP and d83 F.R-GP) were originally granted in October 2016.  Various entities then appealed against the 2016 Decrees. The appeals were scheduled to be heard in Rome on 23 October 2018 but five of the appellants filed further grounds of appeal at the hearing itself, obliging the Tribunal to defer those appeals until Q1 2019.

As regards the two appeals which were heard on 23 October (made by the Region of Puglia and the town of Ostuni), the Tribunal has now issued judgements rejecting both of those appeals.

Regarding the two contiguous applications made by the Company (designated d80 F.R-GP and d81 F.R-GP), the relevant Environmental Decrees were issued in August and September 2017 respectively ('2017 Decrees').

The 2017 Decrees were the subject of appeals by similar, though not identical, parties, and were scheduled to be heard on 20 November 2018.

On this occasion six of the appeals were actually heard (those by the Region of Puglia and by the towns of Bitetto, Fasano, Giovinazzo, Ostuni and Polignano a Mare) and five of the appeals were deferred until January 2019, again because the appellants filed further grounds of appeal at the hearing itself.

Global is currently awaiting publication by the Tribunal of its judgement in respect of the six appeals which were heard on 20 November (relating to the 2017 Decrees).

The Company and its advisers consider the outcome of the two appeals in respect of which the Tribunal has so far published its judgement - relating to the 2016 Decrees - to be of key significance.

By way of contrast, the very late addition by other appellants of further grounds of appeal, in relation to both the 2016 Decrees and the 2017 Decrees - in both cases long after they made their original appeals - is viewed by the Company and its advisers as being tactical and without merit.

Accordingly, the Company is optimistic of a similar successful outcome with regard to all outstanding appeals.

Global CEO, Peter Hill, commented: 
"We believe that the rejection by the Tribunal of the two appeals on which they have so far ruled is indicative of the lack of merit of the appeals made in connection with all four of our applications. These two rulings represent a major step towards ultimate grant of permits to the Company in what we consider to be a highly prospective area, as demonstrated by the activities of the major and substantial independent companies who are engaged in large-scale exploration projects close by in the Italian offshore, and in neighbouring jurisdictions in the Southern Adriatic, where very high value exploration programmes have been committed to."

This information is now included in Global Petroleum's Italy country profile page