Brussels, 16/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - On 8 May, Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs met the head of the Nabucco Consortium Reinhard Mitschek in Brussels, and reaffirmed the European Commission's “full support” for the planned gas pipeline that will link Central Asia to the Community market, circumscribing Russia. Piebalgs also expressed the Commission's support for the exemption process in all of the countries. Under the terms of Article 22 of Directive 2003/55/EC on common rules for the internal gas market, the Commission can support projects that are essential for security of supply by allowing long-term capacity commitments to the promoters of certain projects. In February, Austria was granted such an exemption, and Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania have requested similar exemptions (see EUROPE 9599). Piebalgs and Mitschek also underlined their support for the inter-governmental conference to discuss the legal issues relating to transporting gas from Bakou (Azerbaijan) to Baumgarten (Austria) to be held in The Hague this summer under the chairmanship of the European Coordinator for the Nabucco Project Jozias Van Aarsten. (E.H.)