Tough-sounding,BulgarianPrime Minister Boyko Borisovsuggested today that he expects a clear answer from the European Commission concerning the future of theSouth Stream gas pipelineproject.
VisitingBrussels and the EU institutions, after an unexpected political comeback,Borisov saidhe expected the EU to come up with a clear “yes” or “no” answer to the question.
Borisov emphasized that he was still sad that Bulgaria had been sidestepped by theNabuccogas pipeline, adding that the country would not be facing a problem if it could rely on theNabuccoproject.
In his turn, thePresident of the European CommissionJean-Claude Juncker said thatconditions for the implementation of theSouth Stream gas pipelineremained clear and had not changed.
“The ball is in Russia’s court”, Juncker said.
On 1 December, Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will drop the South Stream natural-gas pipeline -- a project the Kremlin once hoped would cement Moscow's dominance over Europe's energy market. The move followed Brussels insistence that Gazprom abide by the EU's antimonopoly laws.
TheNew York Times' Andrew Rothcalled the scrapping of South Stream "a rare diplomatic defeat" for Putin and "a rare victory for the European Union and the Obama administration, which have appeared largely impotent this year as Mr. Putin annexed Crimea and stirred rebellion in eastern Ukraine."
Putin argued that the EU's opposition to theSouthStream pipeline — which would have run under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and further on to southern Europe — meant Russia had no other choice but to scrap it.
The announcement was made by Putin in Istanbul, during a meeting withTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It reflected the narrowing room for maneuver for Russia, which previously had competed with Turkey for the role of a key energy conduit to the lucrative European markets.
Cold-shouldered by the European Union,Putinstill wants to expand Russia's gas exports to the EU markets bypassing Ukraine and is also keen to demonstrate that Moscow can find new partners despite Western efforts to isolate it. Erdogan, in turn, sees ties with Russia as an important tool to raise Turkey's global leverage and boost its economy.
Putin'smove to try to build an energy alliance with Turkey reflects Moscow's precarious position regarding theSouthStream. Russia's state-controlled natural gas giant, Gazprom, already has invested nearly $5 billion in building the pipeline on Russian territory, about half of its projected cost.
The EU shouldn't lose from divesting itself of an additional Russian pipeline, particularly at a time when it is pursuing LNG and other non-Russian energy alternatives. But anger within the South Stream investment and client nations -- including Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, and Italy -- may prove a divisive issue for Brussels at a time when the bloc is proving increasingly fractious and susceptible to Russian pressure.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/borisov-brussels-bulgaria-wants-clear-answer-south-stream