Outgoing Bulgarian government controversially allowed construction of the South Stream Gas Pipeline project

The now former Bulgarian government controversially granted the first building permits for the construction of the South Stream Gas Pipeline project, the Bulgarian newswire Novinite reported, Aug. 6.

“A document dated July 31 signed by the former Regional Minister Desislava Terzieva shows the green light for the construction of a gas receiving terminal in the Pasha Dere area, near the Black Sea and city of Varna, and a gas compressor station,” the local media reported.

Both facilities were granted building permissions on July 31, despite previous Sofia assurances that the construction of the South Stream Gas Pipeline project in Bulgaria was frozen until a further decision from the European Commission.

Former Bulgarian Regional Minister Desislava Terzieva pointed out that the ministry decided to approve preliminary implementation of the permits in order to avoid further delays.

“State and public interests would suffer if such a decision were delayed any further,” Terzieva stated, as cited by the newswire.

The permits were granted on July 31, by the then outgoing Bulgarian government. It can be appealed within two months.

The latest developments are consistent with an announcement made by the Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture stating that on July 21 it sold 359 da of woodland to South Stream Bulgaria, despite the alleged freezing of all activities connected with the construction of the South Stream Gas Pipeline.

South Stream Bulgaria, a joint venture of the Bulgarian Energy Holding and Russian energy giant Gazprom, purchased the land for nearly BGN 10.78 mln (EUR 5.51 mln), paying EUR 15 per square meter, which is much below the usual market price.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture asserted that all legal procedures had been observed during the deal and added that fact that the deal took place only two days before the socialist-liberal Bulgarian cabinet stepped down is just a coincidence.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.