Reuters: Serbia says has no plan to delay South Stream construction
Serbia said on Thursday it had no plans to delay the start of construction of its leg of Gazprom's South Stream gas pipeline, scheduled for July, after the European Union this week asked Bulgaria to suspend work on the project.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, says South Stream breaks EU competition rules that prohibit gas suppliers from also controlling pipeline access, and it has put on hold the approval process for the project.
Policymakers in Europe are anxious to reduce the continent's energy dependence on Russia - and particularly on gas from state-controlled Gazprom - which has been starkly exposed by the stand-off with Moscow over Ukraine.