Bogovič said he would push ahead with Slovenia's efforts towards preventing the construction of gas terminals in the Gulf of Trieste.
He hopes that Italy will seriously reconsider the project and withdraw from it in line with EU norms which stipulate that such projects have to take into account the opinion of the local communities and good neighbourly relations.
The Trieste municipal council last week almost unanimously backed a proposal against the construction of gas terminals in its vicinity, the Trieste-based Slovenian paper Primorski dnevnik reported today.
"Legally speaking, Slovenia cannot prevent the construction of terminals. If a decision on the construction is made, we can only appeal against it. I hope there will be no need to consider this option," Bogovič said.
The Italian environmental authorities cleared the construction of an off-shore gas terminal in the Gulf of Trieste and a gas pipeline Trieste-Grado-Villesse in July 2011.
Italy also plans a terminal near Aquilinia, just off Italy's border with Slovenia. Environmentalists in both countries have been opposes to both facilities.
