Austria, where OMV is working on a promising basin near Vienna. Bulgaria Hydraulic fracturing or 'fracking' is prohibited by moratorium despite the 30-million-euro contract signed with Chevron for the exploration of shale gas deposits in Novi Pazar. The exploration plans faced public disaffection that elevated to nationwide protests which led to the decision of the government to ban shale gas exploration in Bulgaria. Study of an additional five sites was planned. The Bulgarian government suspended Chevron's license for shale gas prospecting on 14 January 2012. Denmark The French oil company Total has announced that it will start drilling for shale gas in Denmark in 2013. Total has experience producing shale gas in the US. The Danish affiliate, Total E&P Denmark B.V., and the state-owned oil and gas company Nordsøfonden have been granted two onshore licences for exploration in Northern Jutland and North Zealand. The Danish government has stated, that Denmark should be free of fossil fuels by 2050, and the Danish Energy Agency (Energistyrelsen) has determined that shale gas could be a sustainable link to a green transition in Denmark. France In 2011, following strong lobbying from Europe Écologie Euro MP José Bové against shale gas exploration in the Larzac area of southern France, the French government suspended three gas exploration permits "until at least this summer". The Environment minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet announced the creation of a commission charged with evaluating the environmental impact of shale gas production, adding "no authorizations for shale gas exploration will be given, or even considered, before the commission reports". The final report was expected in June 2011. On 20 July 2012, Environment minister Delphine Batho confirmed that the government would maintain a moratorium on shale gas exploration, saying: "nowhere in the world it has been proven that this exploitation can be done without major environmental impact and major health risks". On 14 Sept. 2012, French president François Hollande canceled seven permits for shale gas drilling. He declared "In our current state of knowledge, no one can tell that shale gas and oil extraction by hydraulic fracturing, the only technique known today, is free from serious risks to health and environment." On 5 November 2012, despite a governmental study 'rapport Gallois' advising continuing study of new extraction methods of shale gas due to the groundwater pollution risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, French president François Hollande refused following pressure from the Green Party. France derives most