The implementation of the South Stream gas pipeline project has been suspended in Bulgaria, the country's Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski is quoted as saying by Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency.
"I ordered suspension of the project after we received an official request from the European Commission. We are going to make a final decision after consulting the authorities in Brussels," he said.
According to oil and gas expert Valery Nesterov, the decision made by the Bulgarian authorities will harm the country itself. "One should understand that this move will be harmful to the European economy. Europe will lose billions of euros and thousands of jobs," he said.
"I often travel to Bulgaria and I know that the country's industrial sphere is not developing properly. This move will be very harmful to the Bulgarian economy," the expert believes.
