There are new problems between Russia and the EU concerning the South Stream pipeline construction.
Under pretext of aggravation of situation in Ukraine and end of the winter heating season, the European authorities have once again decided to put a spoke in our wheel, reported http://www.vestifinance.ru
The decision to build North Stream and South Stream gas pipeline has been made against the background of constant conflicts with the Ukrainian authorities related to payment of gas debt and numerous cases of illegal gas pumping on the Ukrainian side. As a result of this, it has been decided to build the gas pipelines bypassing Ukraine. Despite the resistance of Baltic countries and Poland, the issues of construction of the North Stream have been settled and two branches of the gas pipeline have been launched. However, situation with the South Stream was more difficult from the beginning.
In 2013 EU once again mentioned that Gasprom took advantage of its dominating position at the gas markets of Central and Eastern Europe. The officials officially threatened that the South Stream project will not be operating on the EU territory, because the bilateral agreements do not correspond to the Third Energy Package norms.
The aggravation of situation in Ukraine, the different approach of Russian and the western countries to the situation and the referendum in the Crimea have led to the fact that the European Energy Commissar has again threatened Russia to block the talks on the South Stream.
Construction of the South Stream is planned to be completed only at the end of 2015. But the European Energy Commissar said that the “winter heating season is coming to the end” and Europe does not need additional sources of gas import.
The preparation to construction of South Stream started in 2012 and all these years showed that EU will continue laying claims to the project.
Meanwhile, the decision to reduce the gas deliveries to Europe bypassing Ukraine, because of unreliability of the Ukrainian partners has been made long time ago. According to some estimates, Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine decreased from 95% at the end of the 1990s to 52% in 2013. There was a proposal that if Russia and Crimea establish closer relationships, then the Black Sea section of the South Stream could be built through the Crimean shelf and partially on the ground.
