MEPs demand halt to Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
Nordstream map - Image by Samuel Bailey
(STRASBOURG) - Nord Stream 2, the Russia to Europe gas pipeline project, came under attack from the European Parliament Monday evening, with many MEPs demanding a halt to the project altogether.
Nord Stream 2 aims to build new pipelines that would double the capacity of the existing connection from Russia to northern Germany under the Baltic Sea.
However, in a Parliamentary debate with Climate Action and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete in Strasbourg, MEPs said the project goes against the EU's declared long-term strategy to diversify its gas supplies.
Several MEPs said Nord Stream in fact increased dependency on one supplier. Some also argued that the project is not justified economically or in climate action terms, and that it instead reflects geopolitical motives.
Most MEPs asked the European Commission to put an end to the Nord Stream 2 project as soon as possible. The project, they say, goes against the objectives of the EU's Energy Union, harms solidarity among the EU Member States and needs to be considered from a geopolitical as well as an economic perspective.
Commissioner Cañete said that the project "would likely change the current setup of the gas market" and that the Commission had contacted the German authorities to get all the necessary facts to assess the project. Mr Cañete stressed that EU law must be applied and obeyed in all aspects of the Nord Stream 2 project and that "all projects should align to Energy Union policies".
Nord Stream 2 is run by a consortium led by the Russian gas company Gazprom. The new pipelines could be completed by the end of 2019.
Further information, European Parliament