Too Early for EU Response on Bulgaria's 'Gas Hub' Idea - Commission VP Georgieva

EU will have a stance on Bulgaria's idea to build a gas hub at the Black Sea after a formal proposal has been prepared, EU Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva has said.

Brussels understands Bulgaria's ambitions to play its role in energy policy and would also like to strengthen the bloc's positions in terms of energy, Georgieva, who is in charge of budget and human resources at the European Commission, is quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio as saying.

In her words, Sofia has to outline a concrete proposal with precise parameters and submit it officially.

Earlier in December Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov proposed that the EU provide funding for a gas hub which could be built at the entrance of South Stream.

His idea, which follows Russia's announcement that it is scrapping the South Stream gas pipeline project, has not been formally commented by the EU and has not been turned down by Moscow.

Russia and Bulgaria's energy ministers discussed the demise of South Stream on Friday, with the Russian minister, Alexander Novak, tying any further cooperation on that matter to a continued issuance of construction permits, a process that had been halted in the summer.

Georgieva added Brussels meanwhile had decided to prepare a "masterplan" on Southeast Europe within the context of the prospective Energy Union.

She reiterated the Commission had never been "against South Stream, to the contrary, but would like to see South Stream within the context of what we are now building - an energy union, one of the new Commission's priorities."