The European Union has sent an official letter to the Bulgarian authorities, urging them to stop for a while implementation of the project " South stream " to complete the procedure, establishing its congruence with the norms " of the 3rd energy package, " said Commissioner of the European Commission on energy Sabina Berger.
" We have sent an official letter to the Bulgarian authorities, asking them to clarify. We asked the Bulgarian authorities to stop for a while implementing this project, as long as this procedure will be held ", - explained the situation other authorized EC Antoine Colombani, ITAR-TASS reported. According to Colombani, the European Commission suspected Bulgaria privileges Russian present tender for the construction of South stream. Berger said that the claim of the Russian Federation to the world trade organization against the 3rd energy package, the EU " has undermined the Foundation of the work of the bilateral intergovernmental panel on " the southern stream ". Remember, last year the European Commission has launched an antitrust proceedings concerning the project " South stream ", which, it estimates, contrary to the provisions " of the 3rd energy package of the EU. Under this agreement the capital of Russia and the EU on the project were made even before the entry into force " of the 3rd energy package ". At the same time, the European Commission reported that a bilateral agreement on South stream " with a number of European countries - Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia - violate EU law. Because of this, in Brussels told, that will not allow Gazprom to launch the pipeline, if the Russian monopolist does not submit to the European regulations in the energy sector. on may 27, the winner of the tender for the construction of the gas pipeline " South stream " in Bulgaria declared a " Stroytransgaz cartel ", comprised of Russian Company " Stroytransgaz ", controlled by the structures of the Russian billionaire Gennady Timchenko." Stroytransgaz is one of the organizations, which came under the sentence in connection with the situation in Ukraine. on may 28, the head of the EC Jose Manuel Barroso has warned the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Plamen Oresharski that the European Commission will react to violations of the European rules At operation of gas pipeline " South stream ". However, on the next day it was announced that Greece has made the offer to Gazprom to build on its territory branch of the " South stream." South stream is a global infrastructure project of Gazprom on gas pipeline with a capacity of 63 billion cubic Meters via the Black sea to southern and Central Europe to diversify export routes for natural gas and exclude transit risks. The European Commission with own hand fears that this project will greatly extend Russia's influence in the European Union and will not give the opportunity to realize competitive European gas pipeline project " southern corridor ", which is obliged to link Europe with Central Asia bypassing Russia.

sections: Politics