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1. Member States shall provide for a permit-granting procedure, including the deadlines for that procedure which shall not exceed four years from the start of the permit-granting procedure. Member States may adopt necessary measures in order to break down the available period into different steps in accordance with Union and national law.

2. The four-year period referred to in paragraph 1 shall be without prejudice to obligations arising from international and Union law and shall not include periods necessary to undertake administrative and judicial appeal procedures and to seek judicial remedies before a court or tribunal, as well as any periods necessary to implement any resulting decisions or remedies.

3. The four-year period referred to in paragraph 1 shall be without prejudice to the right of a Member State to provide that the permit-granting procedure is to be finalised by the adoption of a specific act of national legislation, in which case, the procedure for adoption of that act may, by way of derogation from paragraph 1, exceed the four year period provided that the preparatory work, on the basis of which the national legislative act is adopted, is concluded within that period. The preparatory work shall be considered to end when the specific act of national legislation is introduced to the national parliament.

4. Member States shall adopt the necessary measures to ensure that, in duly justified cases, an appropriate extension of the four-year period referred to in paragraph 1 may be granted. The duration of the extension shall be determined on a case-by-case basis, be duly justified and be limited to the purpose of completing the permit-granting procedure and delivering the authorising decision. When such an extension has been granted, the project promoter shall be informed of the reasons for granting it. A further extension may be granted once, under the same conditions.

5. Member States shall not be held responsible where the four-year period referred to in paragraph 1, as extended in accordance with paragraph 4, is not complied with where the delay incurred is due to the project promoter.