Commissioner Oettinger to Meet Bulgaria Energy Min over South Stream

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Russian-sponsored gas pipeline project South Stream was held on October 31 at site of the Bulgarian compressor station "Rasovo." File photo

Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy Dragomir Stoynev is set to meet on Thursday EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger to discuss the South Stream natural gas pipeline.

At the beginning of December the European Commission came out with a statement that bilateral agreements signed between Russia and countries like Bulgaria regarding the pipe are in violation of the so-called EU Third Energy Package.

The package is a set of measures to liberalize the energy market, which includes the requirement that the infrastructure owner be different from the provider, and that different suppliers have access to the pipes.

The Bulgarian government has reacted by saying that the agreement is all in order.

"Commissioner Oettinger has already been informed regarding what has been achieved by Bulgaria during South Stream talks," said Oettinger.

At the same time, Stoynev said that the EC must have a more active role in the negotiations about important energy projects.

"The Commission must have a leading role in negotiations between member states and Russia in order to guarantee that all members achieve conditions along similar lines," said the Bulgarian Energy Minister.

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