Bulgaria's Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev discussed energy projects with US deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia Matthew Bryza and Austrian Vice Chancellor Wilhelm Molterer on December 7, a government media statement said.

The strategic Bourgas-Alexandroupolis, NABUCCO and Belene nuclear power plant (NPP) projects would guarantee Southeastern Europe and Western Balkans' energy efficiency and provide new resources and routes to the common European energy market that was in process of formation, Stanishev said during his meetings with Bryza and Molterer. He added that Bulgaria was an active and constructive EU member state in the formation of a common energy policy.

The same day, the European Commission approved the Belene NPP project.

With its geo-strategic position, Bulgaria had a key role in carrying out large energy infrastructural projects, connecting Europe to other regions, Bryza, who was on a work visit to Bulgaria, said. He added that the USA supported the realisation of the Bourgas-Alexandroupolis and NABUCCO projects since they provided the European energy market with more security. Bryza said Washington supported Southeastern Europe's energy efficiency because strategic interests of US partners in the region were guaranteed this way. The perspectives for the construction of the complex South Stream gas pipeline were discussed in the meeting as well. Byrza expressed his support for Bulgaria's ambition to become a regional and European gas and petrol transit and distribution centre.

The NABUCCO project was discussed at Stanishev's meeting with Molterer as well. Both sides appreciated the necessity of a faster realisation of the trans-border gas pipeline. Stanishev and the Austrian Vice Chancellor, who was on an official one-day visit to Sofia, on the invitation of Finance Minister Plamen Oresharski, discussed economic relations between Bulgaria and Austria. They said economic relations between the two had been extremely intense over the past several years. Austria was the number 1 investor in Bulgaria. For the 1992-2006 period Austrian investments amounted to 3.454 billion dollars or 17 per cent of all direct foreign investments.