The European Commission abandoned the idea of reviewing the agreement with Gazprom on building South Stream gas pipeline, newspaper Vedomosti reports citing Russia’s Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky.
Last week the European Commissioner Gunther Oettinger visited Moscow to negotiate the South Stream project. At conclusion, the parties agreed to create a working group to discuss technical and legal issues. According to Yanovsky, nothing was said about the reshaping of government agreements.
Commersant writes that the first talks between Brussels and Moscow on South Stream were fruitless. Unanimous sources told that the parties failed to reach consensus on any of the issues.
Oettinger wanted to persuade Russia to comply with the norms of the Third Energy Package. Last December the EU announced that intergovernmental agreements between the Russian Federation and European countries do not satisfy the Third Energy Package. Brussels wanted Moscow to consider the norms guaranteeing alternative suppliers access to the pipeline and banning the main supplier from monopolizing the gas distribution and setting tariffs for gas delivery.
However, Head of the European Commission’s department for international energy market Claus-Dieter Borchard said that the intergovernmental agreements with Russia should be cancelled if they do not satisfy the requirements. In case the European states fail to do so, the authorities will find the way to break the agreements, Borchard warned.
Officially, the construction of the South Stream started in December 2012. The new pipeline is said to transport 63 billion cubic meters of natural gas. The country has already secured agreements with Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Serbia, Slovenia, and Croatia.
