Brussels, 04/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Russia is still convinced that the agreement signed with EU countries crossed by the gas pipeline cannot be unilaterally revised by the EU.
Although Commissioner Günther Oettinger and Russian Minister for Energy Alexandre Novak agreed in the middle of January to set up a joint group to discuss legal and technical questions regarding the South Stream gas pipeline project in an attempt to reduce their disagreements, Russia is still concerned by the EU's request to revised the intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) concluded by Russia with EU member states taking part in the project: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Greece and Slovakia, as well as Serbia, in an effort to make them more compatible with EU legislation particularly regarding the third liberalisation package.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed the Serbian newspaper Politika on 3 February that “we are concerned by the Commission's demand to revise the IGAs concluded with countries participating in the South Stream project, including Serbia, to harmonise them with the third energy package”. Lavrov believes that, by helping to diversify gas transport routes in Europe, South Stream is making a substantial contribution to the EU's energy security. He concluded that “European legislation should not encroach on existing bilateral agreements. These agreements are part of international law and cannot be revised unilaterally”. (EH/transl.fl)