Bulgaria’s approval of the planned Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline is dependent on it meeting environmental criteria, says the country’s economic minister. Serious questions about the environmental impact of the pipeline, which is a joint venture Russia, Bulgaria, and Greece, have emerged following surveys ordered by the Bulgarian government. For example, the capacity of the port of Rosenetz on the Black Sea for unloading large volumes of oil has been called into question. The 280-kilometer pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.