12-08-05 Work on a pipeline designed to transport natural gas from the Caspian region and the Middle East to the European Union (EU) has begun.
The Nabucco Gas Pipeline International starts in the Caspian region and the Middle East, and will cross Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria where the gas will be distributed to France, Germany and other EU countries via the existent pipelines.

The grand project will cost EUR 5 bn (around $ 6.25 bn), which will be split between the five countries the pipeline passes through. It has the capacity to transport 25 bn cm of gas a year.
The pipeline has important strategic and economic significance as it offers an alternative to gas from Russia and will shake Russia's monopoly and control over gas supply to Romania.

The 2,841-km-long pipeline, including 457 km through Romania, was initiated by the European Parliament and the European Council on June 26, 2003, and is to be finished in 2010.
Currently, Romania produces 13 to 14 bn cm of natural gas on its own a year and imports an extra 3 bn cm of gas from Russia.