Following an invitation by Serbia’s well-known electronic financial and business publication "Balkan Magazin” (www.balkanmagazin.net), Mr. Costis Stambolis, IENE’s Executive Director, participated, as a speaker, at a special Round Table meeting entitled "The Geopolitical Significance of South Stream for Serbia: New Energy Infrastructure of Europe”. The event, which was organized by "Balkan Magazin”, took place in Belgrade, Serbia, on December 17, 2013. The Round Table was organized on the occasion of the start of the construction of the Serbian section of the South Stream natural-gas pipeline in West Balkans, a significant part of which (approximately 500 km.) is to transverse Serbia, while branches to Croatia and Bosnia - Herzegovina are also planned.
The other two participants at that Round Table were the Chairman of the National Petroleum and natural Gas Committee of Serbia, Professor Slobodan Sokolovic, and Dr. Srboljub Antic, economist and former Minister of Energy and Mining of Serbia. The Round Table conference was co-ordinated by Ms.Jelica Putnikovic, founder and managing editor of "Balkan Magazin". The event was well-attended with several experts and professionals from Serbia’s energy and business sector participating in the discussion which followed.
At his presentation, on "The New Balkan Gas Pipelines and their Role in European Energy Security”, IENE’s Executive Director focused on the importance and the role of the South Stream project for the energy security of the Balkans and of Europe in general. As Mr. Stambolis stressed, South Stream is an entirely European project as its consortium consists not only of Russia’s Gazprom, which is a 50% shareholder, but also by France’s GDF, Italy’s Eni and Germany’s Wintershall, who between them control the rest 50%. Mr. Stambolis underlined that South Stream, apart from the large quantities of gas that it will provide to Gazprom’ s customers in Central and Western Europe, it will also improve greatly the supply of natural gas in the overall Balkan region.
This event by "Balkan Magazin” received wide covage by Serbia’s press and electronic media. Mr. Stambolis’ full presentation will soon become available on iene.eu . An announcement to this effect will soon be made at IENE’s website.
