Bulgaria
will proceed with the preparatory works for the construction of the South Stream
gas pipeline and will issue the necessary permits, the Bulgarian government said
on Friday quoting prime minister Boyko Borisov.
"Bulgaria must
carry out the preparatory works, especially for the offshore section of the
pipeline, so as to give Russia no grounds to claim that Bulgaria is responsible
for the project halt," Borisov was quoted as saying during a visit to Brussels.
"Otherwise, they will take us to court and will take our money," he
added.
On December 1 Russian president Vladimir Putin said Russia has
abandoned plans to build the South Stream gas pipeline but is ready to build
another pipeline system to Turkey instead. The construction of South Stream's
offshore part cannot start as Bulgaria has not given its permission and Russia
has been forced to reconsider its participation in the project, Putin further
said at the time.
The Bulgarian authorities have still not been
officially notified that the project has been cancelled.
On December 4
the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the legal
issues on the implementation of the South Stream gas pipeline project are not
insurmountable.
"We should do what is best for Bulgaria and best for
Europe," Juncker said at the time following a meeting with Borisov. "South
Stream can be built. Conditions have been clear since a long time."
In
June, the Bulgarian government said it halted the construction of the gas
pipeline on its territory until it complies with EU legislation, as it does not
ensure liberalisation of the bloc's energy market.
The South Stream was
planned to carry gas from Russia under the Black Sea, making landfall in
Bulgaria and then continuing through Serbia and Hungary towards
Austria.
The South Stream gas pipeline, spearheaded by Gazprom, was
planned to carry gas from Russia to central and southern Europe via Bulgaria,
Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia. The total value of the project was estimated at 16
billion euro ($19.7 billion). Commercial operation of South Stream was scheduled
to start by the end of 2015 with the pipeline reaching its full capacity of some
63 billion cubic metres per year by 2017.