Each signature associated to a hydrocarbon exploration contract, is accompanied inevitably by a Signature Bonus.
It’s the amount paid by the oil company as a contractor, towards the State which issued the licensing round.
During the Second Licensing Round, Cyprus gained from the signature Bonuses, 150 million Euro in regards to the blocks 2,3 and 9 from the Eni-Kogas consortium, and 48 million Euro for marine blocks 10 and 11 from the company Total.
The Third Licensing Round regards marine blocks 6,8 and 10, and concerns simultaneously, the Eni company on it’s own, as well as the Eni-Total, and ExxonMobil- Qatar Petroleum consotiums.
This means that we will soon become informed in regards to the direct economic benefit of the negotiations results at this level.
Because however substantial these agreements may be at a geopolitical level, they have economic consequences as from now.
And that, whether we like it or not, does not only change the evaluation points at a State level, but also the spirit of the citizens living in this homeland.
It is therefore important to highlight the fact that both the contracts and the success of the third licensing round bring along immediate benefits and not merely geopolitical consequences.
Cyprus experiences therefore, a phase change which she oughts to realize, in order to continue the battle for the liberation, and not merely that of a recovery.