14 Iulie 2009

Government passes Nabucco memorandum



The government has passed yesterday the final Nabucco gas pipeline memorandum, which includes amendments resulted from the recent talks, the text being submitted for approval by President Traian Basescu.
“The final version of the mandate has included the conclusions of the recent Nabucco talks with Turkey and five other European Union countries. The memorandum was submitted today for approval by Romania’s President,” said the Government’s spokesperson, Ioana Muntean, at the end of the Executive meeting wherein the final version of the memorandum was passed.

Under the amendments brought to the text in the Government session, Prime Minister Emil Boc was assigned to sign the Agreement on behalf of Romania, hence replacing President Traian Basescu. “The intergovernmental deal to allow the EU- and US-backed Nabucco pipeline to cross the country’s territory will be signed by PM Emil Boc, under the memorandum passed in the Government session,” said Muntean.

The Government held an extraordinary meeting yesterday night, starting 9:00 pm, on Nabucco project, as Prime Minister Emil Boc will participate today in signing ceremony of the intergovernmental agreements in Ankara, Turkey, for the building of a gas link through southeastern Europe as well as a joint declaration between the partners: Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and Turkey.

A disunited Europe

Europe is disunited regarding the participation of Russia in the pipeline project since a dispute between Russia and Ukraine disrupted deliveries and one of the aims of the project is the reduction of European Union’s reliance to Russia’s natural gas.

Launched in 2002, Nabucco project involves the construction of a 3,300 km natural gas pipeline that will connect the shores of the Caspian Sea to Western Europe.

The project, whose completion date is projected for 2014, was brought back on the EU’s agenda after the gas crisis that erupted earlier this year, following the disrupted gas deliveries by Russia to Ukraine.



Citeste si