Bulgaria Faces 'Pilot' Procedures from EC over South Stream, EDCs

The EU Commission has launched a "pilot' procedures against Bulgaria over Sofia's legal amendments regarding the South Stream pipeline and plans to suspend the EDC's licenses.

Despite not being of "penal" essence, the procedures could prompt further measures by the Commission following their results, according to the Bulgarian National Radio.

EC's latest move, known as the EUpilot, is aimed at solving the problems related to appliance of European legislation and improving communication between the EU and the member state that is subjected to it.

Officials from the Commission sent a letter to the Bulgarian government back on April 10, but it was only on Monday that the news was spread.

Bulgaria has until mid-June, or ten weeks on from the beginning of EUpilot, to give and official response.

Following its answer, another ten weeks will be necessary for the EU Commission to decide on its further actions.

EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger's spokeswoman, Sabine Berger, has refused to comment on the procedure as it is currently "under way".

Steps taken against Bulgaria by the EC are a response to the Parliament's approval of amendments to energy legislation allowing for the South Stream gas pipeline's offshore section to go around EU law and the Third Energy Package's prescriptions, barring access to it from third countries and thus favouring Russia's energy giant Gazprom.

A financial dispute between the energy grid operators CEZ, EVN and Energo-Pro and Bulgaria's national regulator DKEVR is also ongoing, as the latter claims the EDCs owe hundreds of millions of BGN to the National Electricity Company and earlier threatened to suspend their permits to operate in Bulgaria if the sums are not...