Bulgarian economy minister Petar Dimitrov called on the EU to throw its weight behind the Nabucco energy corridor - a pipeline designed to lessen dependency on Russian gas. The Nabucco project - connecting Turkey with Austria, via Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, would enable the transportation of Caspian energy resources to the European market. Earlier in the year, Turkmenistan had agreed to supply 10 billion cubic metres (bcm) of natural gas to the EU each year. In addition, EU also pinned its on ensuring the bulk of the supplies from countries such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Egypt or Iraq. Mr. Dimitrov also urged the EU to hold talks with the countries involved in the project to counter similar offers made by Russia which offered to buy all of Azerbaijan's gas exports.

Reports noted that with rising demand for energy in the EU, which was expected to import at least 360 bcm - out of 500 bcm consumed, by 2020. The Nabucco project's capacity, construction for which would begin in 2010, amounted to 31 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year1.

• 1. “The Pipeline Wars: Bulgaria Pushes Nabucco Pipeline,” Reuters, August 29, 2008, at http://asianenergy.blogspot.com/2008/08/pipeline-wars-bulgaria-pushes-na...