Bulgarian government obtains a 20% discount in a long term contract in exchange of the Russian pipeline construction's permission. European energetic dependence on Gazprom increases
It was not a surprise, but Bulgarian green light to the Southstream pipeline increased Russia's hegemony in the European energetic market.
On Thursday 11/15 Bulgarian government signed with Russian national gas major Gazprom an official agreement about the Southstream pipeline's realization in Bulgaria.
In exchange, Bulgarian government, which delayed the agreement's signature, obtained a 20% discount on gas import contracts from Russia.
Bulgaria will import 2,9 bcm of Russian gas in next 10 years. Gas prices for Sofia will depend on the oil ones.
Gazprom's Head, Alexei Miller, declared that Bulgarian government obtained a high discount because since the Southstream will start working Bulgaria will become the most important Russian gas' transit-state from Russia to western European countries.
Gazprom, a national major owned by the Kremlin, already signed similar agreements for the Southstream pipeline's construction with Serbia, Slovenia and Hungary.
Moreover, on Wednesday 11/14, in Milan, Southstream shareholders - Russian national major Gazprom, Italian concern ENI, German company Wintershall, and French company EDF - approved the pipeline's construction on Black Sea seaside.
By the Southstream pipeline, Russia will deliver 63 bcm of Russian gas directly to Europe via the Black Sea seabed, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy.
The "Orthodox Pipeline" - as the Southstream has also been named - is a Russia's political project: it will increase Russian gas supplies to Europe - which already depends on Russian gas for the 40% of the continental need - and will endanger European countries' national security.
Moreover, the Southstream's realization blocks the EU gas supplies diversification project, which has been conceived by the European Commission to decrease EU dependence on Russian supplies.
The European Commission planed the realization of several pipelines, in order to carry 16 bcm of Azeri gas directly to Europe.
Moreover, Brussels endorsed the construction of several LNG terminals, in order to import liquefied gas from Qatar Norway, and the USA.
In September 2012, the European Commission officially accused Gazprom of anti-concurrency management in Central Eastern Europe's countries.
On the one hand, the Russian national major agreed low prices for its natural gas supplies with Western European buyers, as Germany, France and the Netherlands.
On the other hand, Gazprom imposed high gas prices to Central Eastern European countries, as Poland, Lithuania and Romania, in order to punish them for their political support to the European Commission gas supplies' diversification plan.
Matteo Cazzulani
