Brussels, 10/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Bulgaria believes that the offshore stretch of the Russian Gazprom gas pipeline project will not have any negative environmental impact on the Bulgarian coastline.
On 10 February, the Bulgarian Department of the Environment approved the environmental impact study carried out by the South Stream consortium. This study includes a number of responses provided by the local community as part of the consultation process, said the consortium headed by the Russian company Gazprom (50%) and the Italian firm Eni (20%). The study also includes conclusions on studies carried out by Bulgarian and international experts on the environmental impact of building and using this offshore section in the Black Sea, as well as its effects on the country's cultural heritage and social and economic issues. More than 200 protection measures have been planned. The Bulgarian Ministry will now attempt to establish and complete the next stages of permit delivery to facilitate the start of construction work by the middle of this year.
South Stream will link Russia and Bulgaria in order to supply the European market via two different branches: one in the south going through Greece and up into Italy; the other in the North going through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia and linking up with Austria. At the end of 2013, the EU called on Russia to revise its agreements concluded with EU countries participating in the project: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Greece and Slovenia, as well as Serbia, to make them more compatible with EU legislation. (EH/transl.fl)