Bulgaria Will Not Oppose Nord Stream Project, Says PM

The Bulgarian government said over the last hours that it will not oppose the Nord Stream pipeline connecting Russia with Germany via the Baltic Sea, confirming that Sofia did not sign a letter promoted by Eastern European countries against the project.  

“I will defend the position for the construction of Nord Stream II and (a) gas hub in Bulgaria” Prime Minister Boiko Borisov said as reported by Reuters on Monday. 

The statement is consistent with an interview given by Temenuzhka Petkova, Minister of Energy, on Sunday.

“Bulgaria has not expressed a position regarding this really important issue. In order to make a statement on this issue, it is necessary to know all the facts. We don’t have enough information, so Bulgaria has not signed such a letter” Petkova said in an interview published on the government’s website. 

Petkova said that the country is working to increase interconnections with neighbouring countries, while maintaining good ties with both American and Russian companies. 

The Energy Minister also explained that the liberalisation of Bulgaria’s energy market will start in 2016.

“On November 30 we expect the World Bank to provide us with the interim report. This interim report will enable us to go through the models that the World Bank has proposed to Bulgaria” she said on Sunday, referring to the consultancy contract signed with the World Bank meant to help the country choosing how to liberalise the electricity market.