In the light of the opinion issued by the Commission nationale d’expertise, the ministers responsible for the environment and the economy respectively either reject the claim for compensation in a joint, reasoned decision, or decide to continue investigating the claim. In the latter case, the minister responsible for the environment refers the matter to the prefect, who initiates the damage assessment phase and informs the claimants.
If the Ministers have not taken a decision within six months of the acknowledgement of receipt of the file provided for in article R. 424-11, either rejecting the application or deciding to continue the investigation, the application is deemed to have been rejected.