Russia to Ask for EC Concessions on South Stream Project

Russia will ask the European Commission to grant concessions for the South Stream project, according to Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU, Ambassador Vladimir Chizhov. 

“South Stream is trans-border and is on the territory of Russia and crosses the Black Sea and countries that are and are not part of the EU, such as Serbia. That is why special treatment is needed for it," Chizhov said on Monday.

Energy Minister Alexander Novak and EU’s Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oettinger are expected to meet on 17 January. According to Russia's Ministry of Energy, they will also discuss the South Stream project.

"The six EU countries participating in the project have delegated the right to hold talks with the Russian government on their behalf to the European Commission… Oettinger will arrive in Moscow on Friday," Chizhov confirmed.

But the declarations of Chizhov indicate that a solution could still be far.

In December, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the agreements signed by Russia and European countries for the construction of the South Stream are acts of international law that should benefit from a rule of precedence.