Comparison of hydrocarbon fiscal regimes of some European oil and gas producers and perspectives for improvement in the Republic of Croatia

Abstract

Hydrocarbon exploration and production activities are basic to the functioning of the oil and gas industry, while concession contracts and fees are central concepts in the aforementioned activities. The authors consider several questions regarding these concepts, such as: What is the legislative, institutional, and fiscal framework in certain European countries regarding hydrocarbon exploration and production? What are the major differences between them? Finally, is there room for improvement of the framework in the Republic of Croatia? To answer these questions, the authors contacted some of the relevant institutions and accessed official government gazettes, institution websites, legal aggregators, journal articles, books, and different legal publications regarding the oil and gas industry for several European countries, namely the Kingdom of Norway, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Austria, and the Republic of Croatia. As a result, this paper presents an overview of legislation, institutions, concession contracts, taxes, and fees for each of the aforementioned countries. The authors conclude that the Republic of Croatia could benefit from applying some foreign solutions in its own legislative and fiscal framework, i.e. using a sliding scale for royalty calculation and simplifying some administrative procedures.