The European Commission has no objections to the South Stream gas pipeline, but still rates the Nabucco project as a higher priority, a commission spokesman said on Friday, just hours after Bulgaria said it would join the Russian-Italian project.
The EC does not oppose South Stream, which will create a new gateway for Russian gas into Europe, according to Ferran Tarradellas, spokesman for European energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
"But we consider Nabucco a priority project, rather than South Stream, because it will diversify not only the transport routes, but also the supply sources," Tarradellas said.
With Bulgaria so far voicing no opposition to the Nabucco project, which is widely seen as a rival to the South Stream, there are no reasons to doubt its commitment to the EU-backed pipeline, he added.
South Stream proposes to build a pipeline under the Black Sea, which would go ashore in Bulgaria on its way to its final destination - Italy. Whether it will do so through Greece, Serbia or Romania, Hungary and Austria, remains to be seen.
The two energy conglomerates backing it are Russia's Gazprom and Italy's ENI, with costs estimated to reach EUR 10 B.
Nabucco proposes to take gas from Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea coast via Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary into Austria, but despite years of talks, negotiations are progressing slowly.