.7 Jul 2011 13:29
ATHENS, July 7 (Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday it expects to award London-based European Goldfields (EGUq.L: Quote)(EGU.TO: Quote) with a much-awaited permit to dig for gold this month.
"We are at the end of the (licensing) procedure and we will be able to make announcements at the end of this month," Greece's new Environment and Energy Minister George Papaconstantinou told a news conference.
Another environment ministry official said the permit would actually be granted by mid-July but the official announcement would be made later in the month. "The licence will be given by mid-July," said the official, who declined to be named. (Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Harry Papachristou and Ingrid Melander)