1. The permit granting process shall consist of two procedures:
(a)
The pre-application procedure, covering the period between the start of the permit granting process and the acceptance of the submitted application file by the competent authority, shall take place within an indicative period of two years.
This procedure shall include the preparation of any environmental reports to be prepared by the project promoters.
For the purpose of establishing the start of the permit granting process, the project promoters shall notify the project to the competent authority of the Member States concerned in written form, and shall include a reasonably detailed outline of the project. No later than three months following the receipt of the notification, the competent authority shall, including on behalf of other authorities concerned, acknowledge or, if it considers the project as not mature enough to enter the permit granting process, reject the notification in written form. In the event of a rejection, the competent authority shall justify its decision, including on behalf of other authorities concerned. The date of signature of the acknowledgement of the notification by the competent authority shall serve as the start of the permit granting process. Where two or more Member States are concerned, the date of the acceptance of the last notification by the competent authority concerned shall serve as the date of the start of the permit granting process.
(b)
The statutory permit granting procedure, covering the period from the date of acceptance of the submitted application file until the comprehensive decision is taken, shall not exceed one year and six months. Member States may set an earlier date for the time-limit, if considered appropriate.
2. The combined duration of the two procedures referred to in paragraph 1 shall not exceed a period of three years and six months. However, where the competent authority considers that one or both of the two procedures of the permit granting process will not be completed before the time limits as set out in paragraph 1, it may decide, before their expiry and on a case by case basis, to extend one or both of those time limits by a maximum of nine months for both procedures combined.
In that case, the competent authority shall inform the Group concerned and present to the Group concerned the measures taken or to be taken to conclude the permit granting process with the least possible delay. The Group may request the competent authority to report regularly on progress achieved in this regard.
3. In Member States where the determination of a route or location undertaken solely for the specific purpose of a planned project, including the planning of specific corridors for grid infrastructures, cannot be included in the process leading to the comprehensive decision, the corresponding decision shall be taken within a separate period of six months, starting on the date of submission of the final and complete application documents by the promoter.
In that case, the extension period referred to in paragraph 2 shall be reduced to six months, including for the procedure referred to in this paragraph.
4. The pre-application procedure shall comprise the following steps:
(a)
upon the acknowledgement of the notification pursuant to paragraph 1(a), the competent authority shall identify, in close cooperation with the other authorities concerned, and where appropriate on the basis of a proposal by the project promoter, the scope of material and level of detail of information to be submitted by the project promoter, as part of the application file, to apply for the comprehensive decision. The checklist referred to in Annex VI.1(e) shall serve as a basis for this identification;
(b)
the competent authority shall draw up, in close cooperation with the project promoter and other authorities concerned and taking into account the results of the activities carried out under point (a), a detailed schedule for the permit granting process in line with the guidelines set out in Annex VI.(2);
For projects crossing the border between two or more Member States, the competent authorities of the Member States concerned shall prepare a joint schedule, in which they endeavour to align their timetables;
(c)
upon receipt of the draft application file, the competent authority shall, if necessary, and including on behalf of other authorities concerned, make further requests regarding missing information to be submitted by the project promoter, which may only address subjects identified under point (a). Within three months of the submission of the missing information, the competent authority shall accept for examination the application in written form. Requests for additional information may only be made if they are justified by new circumstances.
5. The project promoter shall ensure the completeness and adequate quality of the application file and seek the competent authority's opinion on this as early as possible during the pre-application procedure. The project promoter shall cooperate fully with the competent authority to meet deadlines and comply with the detailed schedule as defined in paragraph 4(b).
6. The time limits laid down in this Article shall be without prejudice to obligations arising from international and Union law, and without prejudice to administrative appeal procedures and judicial remedies before a court or tribunal.