Bulgaria draws a gas boundary for the EU – South Stream to be constructed on land without Brussels’ consent

The Bulgarian parliament prepares to bring the South Stream gas pipeline, which is constructed by Gazprom, out of European regulation, at least partially.The deputies want to fix difference between intra-European and trans-border gas pipelines in law, determined that rules of the Third Energy The package of the EU can’t apply to the latter. The European Commission doubts this and demands an official explanations from Sofia.

Last Friday, the Bulgarian parliament passed a draft law, which enables to partially bring the South Stream gas pipeline project into the territory of the country out of rules of the Third Energy Package of the EU, in a first reading. It is a question of amendments to energy law, which introduce a definition of “marine gas pipeline” and separate idea of “trans-border gas pipeline” (which initial point is out of the EU) and “intersystem gas pipeline” or interconnector, which connects gas transportation systems of two countries of the EU. Bulgarian deputies concluded that the EU legislation can’t apply to trans-border gas pipelines. Previously, the Russian Government said the same.