EU chief: New Greece-Bulgaria gas pipeline ‘means freedom’
By VESELIN TOSHKOV and MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria has opened a natural gas link with Greece at a ceremony attended by the leader of the European Union’s executive arm, who emphasized the bloc’s determination to stop relying on Russian energy imports. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at a ceremony in Sofia, hailed the pipeline as an important contribution to limiting opportunities for Russia to use its gas and oil reserves to blackmail the EU. Von der Leyen told regional leaders “this project means freedom.“ Also on Saturday, gas started flowing from Norway and Denmark to Poland through the new Baltic Pipe.