European Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs Friday denied the E.U.'s executive body isn't adequately supporting the Nord Stream project.
"I think the commission is supporting Nord Stream," Piebalgs told reporters at a press conference of Eurogas, the European natural gas industry association, in Leipzig.
Wintershall AG, a wholly owned unit of Germany's BASF AG (BAS.XE), and E.ON AG's (EOA.XE) E.ON Ruhrgas unit have in the past repeatedly requested more political support from the E.U. The Nord Stream project, a pipeline which will connect Russia with western Europe through the Baltic Sea, has faced danger of delay in light of slow planning approval processes in Baltic Sea countries such as Sweden and Estonia.
Nord Stream is a joint venture between Russian monopoly OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS), E.ON, BASF and Nederlandse Gasunie NV.
Piebalgs Friday said the commission is "standing behind" the Nord Stream project, but said it is currently in private investment status during which there is little the commission can do.
He also said other projects such as the Nabucco pipeline, need more support from the commission. Nabucco is planned to transport 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually from the Caspian Sea region to Europe, bypassing Russia and thus reducing Europe's reliance on the gas-rich eastern neighbor.
"In Nabucco we're trying to attract more gas suppliers and this is something that requires more work from the commission," Piebalgs said.
The six partners behind the Nabucco pipeline project are Hungary's MOL Nyrt. (MOL.BU), Bulgaria's Bulgargaz, Romania's Transgaz (TGN.RO), Germany's RWE AG (RWE.XE), Turkey's BOTAS and OMV, each holding a 15% stake.