ROME, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union needs a common energy strategy and members state must be united when striking bilateral accords with countries like Russia, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said on Monday.

    Speaking at a joint press conference with his Slovenian counterpart Dimitrij Rupel, Frattini explained that while common guidelines were needed for bilateral negotiations, "decisions on the percentages of partnerships and the amount of investment must be made by the single nations and sector companies involved."

    An example of this, Frattini said, were the ongoing talks between Ljubljana and Moscow for the proposed South Stream gas pipeline which will bring Russian gas to Italy, with one branch passing through Greece to southern Italy and another through Eastern Europe to northern Italy, according to Italian News Agency ANSA.

    The South Stream project is part of a proposed common energy strategy which EU leaders will discuss at a special EU summit scheduled for Oct. 15.