Officials in Ankaran are convinced that the investors want to split the project in two to bypass the completed environmental impact study. After a comprehensive analysis of available documentation, the municipality has determined that the terminal and the pipeline are treated as separate projects with two distinct environmental impact approvals.

"By splitting the project in two, the investor naturally tried to avoid certain procedures and is attempting to deceive all the relevant parties, including the Municipality of Ankaran," warns Ankaran Mayor Gregor Strmčnik.

A year ago, when the two ministries gave the environmental go-ahead for the gas terminal in Aquilinia, the municipality filed a lawsuit in the administrative court of the Italian region of Lazio. Attorney Peter Močnik has participated in the lawsuit for several years: "I filed the first lawsuits five or six years ago and the cases have not yet been heard in court. They are probably waiting for the final act, when the ministry issues the construction permit; they will probably begin hearings on the issue then."

Slovenia's environment and foreign ministries are aware of the lawsuit and are supporting it. Environment Minister Irena Majcen expressed her disapproval of the plans once again at this October's meeting of the intragovernmental, Slovenian-Italian coordinating committee. Based on the information available to the Environment Ministry, Italy will make its final decision about the terminal in the framework of an interdepartmental conference, but the date of that meeting is not yet known.