Bulgaria’s President urges government to decide on South Stream

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has urged the government to clarify whether it intends to comply with EU legislation on the South Stream Gas Pipeline project, the Bulgarian newswire Novinite reported May 29.

“Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski assured EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that Bulgaria will comply with European legislation,” Plevneliev said, as cited by the newswire.  “To me it is a secret how this is to happen, given that it was already announced who the executors of the project are.”

In his statement the Bulgarian president referred to an earlier revelation that the construction of the Bulgarian section of the South Stream Gas Pipeline had been awarded to Russian Stroytransgaz, a firm owned by Gennady Timchenko, who is a sanctioned Russian businessman that is believed to be a close ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Plevneliev’s remarks came as a follow up to the EC President Barroso’s comment stating that EC is to take action against Bulgaria over non-compliance with the EU rules on the South Stream agreements.