The possibility of the involvement of Germany’s Wintershall AG in the South Stream gas pipeline raises the chances for gaining E.U. support for the project, the CEO of Italy’s Eni, Paolo Scaroni, told the Wall Street Journal.

Scaroni said that involving the German company in South Stream would give the project stability not only in regards to who would be purchasing gas but also in terms of the European Union’s acceptance of the project.

“It won’t fly, unless the E.U. gives it its support.” Scaroni said.

Wintershall’s involvement in the project could be confirmed in the coming days, a source close to Russian gas giant Gazprom said. Gazprom and Eni currently own the South Stream development company on a parity basis. In addition to Wintershall, intensive negotiations are underway with France’s EDG over its involvement in South Stream.

In the framework of the liberalization of European energy markets, the European Union demands that gas pipeline owners guarantee access to other suppliers, as well as prevent suppliers from owning transportation infrastructure.

Scaroni was quoted by the WSJ as saying South Stream will only work if it is exempted from the third-party access rule – a prospect that would be bolstered by Germany’s signing up.

“We need to have the E.U. backing the project, and having three companies from three major countries of the E.U. as part of the project should be a positive factor,” Scaroni said.

Wintershall, a subsidiary of BASF, is also involved in the development of the North Stream pipeline for delivering Russian gas to Europe. Wintershall owns 15.5 percent in the joint venture of Nord Stream, which is the pipeline’s operator.

The South Stream gas pipeline, which should supply over 60 billion cubic meters of gas a year to Europe, will run along the bottom of the Black Sea to Bulgaria. In addition, the pipeline could also be set up through Romania. However, many in Europe view South Stream as a competitor to the Nabucco pipeline project, which, if built, would supply gas to Europe from the Caspian and the Middle East.