German citizens reacted negatively to the statement of the Minister of Economy and Vice-Chancellor of the country, Robert Habek, who called the Nord Stream 2 (SP-2) gas pipeline project a geopolitical mistake. On December 18, they left their opinion on the website of the German political magazine Focus.
The Germans also ridiculed Khabek’s statement that the decision to launch the SP-2 would depend on Moscow’s actions on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
“These threats from Khabek are ridiculous, shameful and have nothing to do with diplomacy,” one reader wrote.
“The pipeline is finished. This is an economic project in which Germany has also invested billions, and it would be grotesque not to approve of its completion now, ”wrote another user.
“Habek must be honest and admit that there is no way to do without buying gas from Russia, and Ukraine is simply spoiled by income from fuel transit,” said the reader of the publication.
In an interview, Habek also recalled that the pipeline must comply with the rule of separation of companies. Its meaning is that the companies that are engaged in the extraction of fuel do not have the right to transport it. These two processes require different firms.
On December 14, the new Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced that Nord Stream 2 is an important project ensuring the security of energy supplies to the European Union. According to him, any sanctions against the pipeline “will only harm the European Union,” so you should not use the SP-2 as a lever of pressure on Moscow.
On November 16, the German regulator suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator of Nord Stream 2. The procedure can be continued when a subsidiary company for the German part of the pipeline is created in Germany. The company has promised to establish such a subsidiary in Germany to ensure compliance with rules and regulations.
The construction of the gas pipeline was completed on September 10. It was built from Russia to Germany along the Baltic seabed with the aim of direct gas supplies to Europe. The EU countries mainly support the project and participate in its implementation. The Baltic states, Poland, the USA and Ukraine are opposed.