Following the cancellation of the South Stream gas pipeline project, as publicly announced by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin during his state recent visit to Turkey last Monday (1/12), IENE has decided to postpone indefinitely its plans for hosting a South Stream related summit meeting which was originally scheduled to take place in Belgrade on December 10Following the cancellation of the South Stream gas pipeline project, as publicly announced by Russia’s president Vladimir Putin during his state recent visit to Turkey last Monday (1/12), IENE has decided to postpone indefinitely its plans for hosting a South Stream related summit meeting which was originally scheduled to take place in Belgrade on December 10. President Putin’s announcement officially sealed a decision that had already been taken by the Russian government and Gazprom since mid November. In fact IENE had been advised by its partners in Serbia to postpone the Summit for Spring 2015 as there appeared to be certain "administrative” problems regarding South Stream’s execution. Following that IENE quietly dropped the December 10, Belgrade meeting from its schedule of events, in the hope that things might change in the new year and a South Stream related event might still be held in April or May 2015.
With South Stream’s cancellation energy security concerns for SE Europe have now become even more pronounced. This is the reason why the IENE is stepping up its plans to organise a one day conference in Vienna on March 12 to discuss and analyse the "Role of Gas in SE Europe’s Energy Security”. Well qualified experts and eminent speakers from companies and academia but also from international organizations and from different countries in Europe will participate and contribute to what is likely to become a highly stimulating affair, the first such post South Stream regional meeting. Details of the Vienna conference are now being worked out and on official announcement through this website will be posted before Christmas.
