Bulgarian MPs to Discuss Provisions Favoring South Stream Gas Pipeline

Bulgaria's Parliament will hold a first-reading discussion of a set of amendments to the Energy Act concerning the South Stream gas pipeline project.

Under a set of amendments to the Energy Act submitted by socialist MPs Yavor Kuyumdzhiev and Tasko Ermenkov, the Bulgarian section of the South Stream gas pipeline is to be excluded from the scope of the EU's Third Energy Package and Russian Gazprom will not be under an obligation to provide third-party access to the pipeline's capacity.

The legal changes are to change the status of the gas pipeline project so that it is treated as a gas grid interconnection, according to reports of dnevnik.bg.

EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger demanded an explanation from Bulgaria on the matter after being alerted to the legal changes by Boyko Borisov, former Bulgarian Prime Minister and leader of center-right party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) and Delyan Dobrev, former Energy Minister and GERB MP.

On Wednesday, Bulgaria's Economy and Energy Minister Dragomir Stoynev informed that he had not yet replied to the letter and he would ask GERB for advice about what to say.

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