UPDATE 1-Austria defends Russia's South Stream gas pipeline
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Austria remains committed to Russia's controversial South Stream gas pipeline project despite a deepening crisis in Ukraine, its foreign minister and the head of its top energy company said on the eve of a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We need not only more suppliers, but also more variety in the routes that energy can flow to us," Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz told reporters in Luxembourg on Monday, noting five European Union countries firmly backed the project.
The South Stream pipeline would bring Russian gas to Europe without crossing Ukraine, which has been locked in a violent standoff with Russia after the ousting of Ukraine's pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovich touched off a separatist uprising.
The European Commission has said the project can get approved but has stressed it must conform to strict EU competition and environmental laws.
The head of Austrian energy group OMV called for accelerated negotiations to approve the South Stream pipeline, telling a newspaper it was unrealistic to think Europe could entirely wean itself off of Russian energy supplies.
Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/23/omv-russia-idUKL6N0P428D20140623
EU now prepared to consider increased volumes via Nordstream / Opal. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=826962
= new reply since forum marked as read
if the party was readmitted to politics"
'A further 42 per cent agreed with the view that life “wasn’t all bad under the Nazis”, and 39 per cent said they thought a recurrence of anti-Semitic persecution was likely in Austria.'
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/over-half-of-austrians-think-the-nazis-would-be-elected-if-the-party-was-readmitted-to-politics-8528218.html
