Construction of Baltic Sea Pipeline to Start Next Year
Construction on the Russian-German Nord Stream gas pipeline is expected to start in early 2010. The announcement follows Denmark's recent green light over the environmental impact of the project.
Sebastian Sass, the EU representative for the Nord Stream consortium said: "We received our first environmental permit on Tuesday [21 October] from Denmark and we intend to get started with construction next year." He added that the other four permits needed - from Finland, Sweden, Germany and Russia - would probably be granted by the end of the year.
The Danish go-ahead is a first breakthrough in what Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has often criticised as Europe's lack of resolve to move ahead with the project, which has official EU-priority status.