Development Minister Costis Hatzidakis on Wednesday sent an information note to Parliament President Dimitris Sioufas presenting the main articles of a draft legislation covering the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupoli oil pipeline project, ahead of a debate in a parliamentary commission.

The draft bill aims to further accelerate procedures for the construction of the oil pipeline, as envisaged in a trhree-party agreement signed between Russia, Bulgaria and Greece. The three countries have already agreed in setting up an international company “Trans-Balkan Pipeline BV” to build and manage the pipeline.

Under the draft legislation, the project is characterized as of major national importance, public utility and public interest. It also envisages limitation in building permissions along the pipeline, for safety reasons, compensations to land owners hit by building limitations, offering municipal property to Trans-Balkan Pipeline for the construction of the pipeline and their return to owners after completion of works, and also allowing the company to use parts of the Alexandroupoli port for the operation and maintenance of the pipeline.

Commenting on the draft legislation, the Greek minister said the government was honoring its commitment to completing this great project, without forgetting the environmental dimension of the project and expressed the belief that all parties participating in the project were moving towards the same direction.