The European Commission has agreed to look into Bulgaria's demands for more compensation for closing two ageing Soviet-era nuclear reactors in 2006, but it has not approved the demands, Reuters quoted a spokesman as saying today. Earlier on Friday the Bulgarian government press office said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso had backed the demands in talks with Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev. Mark Gray, spokesman for the EU executive commission, said no approval was given. "The commission has received a proposal to extend decommissioning by Bulgaria. The Commission is assessing the proposal. It has not been approved," Gray told Reuters. "The treaty is quite clear on this issue and any amendment would need the backing of all member states." The European Union has already promised Bulgaria some 550 million euros ($745 million) in compensation, covering the period until the end of this year.
