The European Union has always had a clear position on gas supply to Europe; it wants to diversify gas delivery options, European Commission Vice-President Kristalina Georgieva said on Tuesday.

This position aims at protecting local consumers from the risk of high gas prices, she said at a press conference in Brussels.

The European Union wanted the South Stream gas pipeline project to comply with European legislation and to give access to other companies for the sake of fair competition on the market, Georgieva said.

In her opinion, Bulgaria followed the EU rules. Being a sovereign country, it imposed a ban on pipeline construction unless European laws were obeyed in an independent manner and without experiencing any pressure.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said earlier that a decision to stop the South Stream project had been made by the Russian president because the European Commission had been refusing to issue a permit to construct the gas pipeline for several years.