South Stream Pipeline Project Must Comply With EU Legislation If Renewed

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The European Union didn't initiate the shelving the South Stream gas pipeline project, but if it is renewed, it must fully comply with the norms of the so-called Third Energy Package, EU Ambassador to Russia Vygaudas Usackas said. The Third Energy Package is a set of regulatory guidelines for the EU's internal gas and electricity market; it was proposed by the European Commission in September 2007 and entered into force in September 2009.

“As you know, it was not the European Union that decided to abandon the South Stream project. Just as before, we remain committed to the principles of diversifying the routes and sources of the deliveries of energy resources. If the project is renewed, then its completion must be in full compliance with the Third Energy Package and other EU legislative acts,” Usackas told RIA Novosti in an interview. 

In late 2014, Moscow announced the cancellation of the South Stream gas pipeline, intended to traverse the Black Sea to deliver Russian natural gas through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia to Italy and Austria. Following the cancellation, Russia announced plans for the Turkish Stream gas pipeline to replace the South Stream.

The Turkish Stream was suspended in late 2015 amid the deterioration of Moscow-Ankara relations after Turkey downed a Russian Su-24 jet in November for allegedly violating its airspace. Moscow has dismissed the allegations, stressing that the jet was shot down over Syria.