The bill was approved in the Turkish Grand National Assembly: Olive groves will be opened for profit!

The bill that proposes opening olive groves to profiteering, which has been opposed for days by olive producers, villagers, life advocates and the opposition, was approved in the Turkish Grand National Assembly General Assembly.

The Bill, which drew criticism because it would pave the way for the destruction of olive trees, has become law.

The law amends the Mining Law.

According to the Law on Amendments to Certain Laws, which includes regulations regarding energy and mining areas, for each year that mining activities are carried out in areas registered as olive groves or in areas where olive groves actually exist, an additional fee equal to the operating license fee will be collected from the license holder to ensure the rehabilitation of these areas.

The law envisages accelerating EIA processes and enabling mining activities to be carried out in the region where olive trees are located.

30 PERCENT DISCOUNT ON THE LICENSE FEE

With the amendment, license holders are required to pay a rehabilitation fee equal to the operating license fee. Since the environmental compliance fee is collected as a share of the license fee under the current regulation, a 30 percent discount will be applied to the license fee.

In order to prevent the reduction in the operating license fee to be collected from decreasing state right revenues, the minimum amount of state right currently collected at least as much as the operating license fee is being increased by 50 percent more than the license fee.

In addition, with the regulation, chrome ore will be removed from the table of "State Rights Rates" of the Mining Law, and will be subject to general provisions since it is not traded on the London Metal Exchange.

MINERAL EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES

According to the amendment to the provision of the Mining Law regulating exploration activities, the first year after the exploration license is issued will be the preliminary exploration period.

The general exploration period following the preliminary exploration period will be 2 years for Group 4 mines and 1 year for other group mines.

ADMINISTRATIVE FINES AND LICENSE CANCELLATION SANCTIONS

Amendments are being made to the provision of the Mining Law regulating the "operation license and operation of the mine".

Accordingly, a reasonable (minimum) production activity will be required in order to comply with other relevant articles that stipulate that the rehabilitation fee be collected as a separate fee from the license fee and to approve requests for extension of the license period.

The law removes from the text the provision that imposes an administrative fine of 77,632 Turkish Lira on license holders if their total production amount in the three-year period is less than 30% of the annual production amount declared in the project, starting from the date of the application of the administrative fine, and the provision that cancels the license if administrative fines are imposed twice within five years.

Details are coming...