National Movement Simeon II (NMSII) and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), two of the parties in the ruling coalition, made it impossible for the governing majority to finalise the ratification of the Bourgas- Alexandroupolis oil pipeline agreement.

Opposition parties called for a delay in the procedure and the lack of quorum on May 17 led to further postponement in the finalisation of the project, Dnevnik daily reported.

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) failed to move the project forward since its coalition partners aided the opposition in its boycott attempts, the report said.

The agreement received approval only on first reading.

Only BSP fully supported the project. Debates continued nearly two hours, during which opposition parties outlined the risks stemming from the energy agreements between Bulgaria, Russia and Greece.

The planned annual revenue from the project depended on the quantity of oil transported, which has not been calculated with certainty yet, Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) said.

Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) stressed on the environmental hazards and the eventual negative effects the setting up of the pipeline will have on the development of tourism.