The construction of the Nord Stream 2 (SP-2) gas pipeline was a mistake from a geopolitical point of view. This opinion was expressed by the Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Federal Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Habeck in an interview with the FAZ newspaper, excerpts from which the German media quoted on Saturday, December 18.
Answering the question whether the transition to renewable energy sources would lead to dependence on Russian gas and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Habek said: “All European countries, except Germany and Austria, have always been against it. And now the gas pipeline has been built. But the question is whether it will be put into operation remains open. This issue should be resolved from the standpoint of European and national law. “
The politician recalled that, according to current laws, the ownership of the network and the company that operates it should be in different hands. “A policy aimed at supporting competition is a policy. It prevents the creation of monopolies and, at the same time, dependencies,” the Deputy Prime Minister of Germany emphasized, adding that the German regulator, the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), will check the compliance of all documents on “Nord Stream – 2” law and will decide on the possibility of starting its operation.
Conflict of the Russian Federation with Ukraine and SP-2
Referring to the threat of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, Khabek stressed that “any further aggression should not remain without harsh consequences.” “There can be no taboo topics for reflection,” the minister said, without mentioning, however, Nord Stream 2 directly.
Many politicians in the EU consider the possibility of refusing to commission this gas pipeline to be a necessary sanction step in the event of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In Germany, this topic is controversial.
German Chancellor Scholz – about SP-2
For example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after the EU summit in Brussels on the night of December 17, said that he considers the launch of the SP-2 and the efforts made to de-escalate the crisis around Ukraine as two topics that are not related to each other. “In the case of Nord Stream 2, we are talking about a purely private economic project,” Scholz emphasized.
In November, the Federal Network Agency suspended the registration process for the pipeline, noting that it will only become possible after the operator Nord Stream 2 AG, based in the Swiss city of Zug, submits documents establishing a separate company in Germany to operate the pipeline.
The Nord Stream 2 certification process, planned for four months, was supposed to be completed in January 2021, but since the suspension time is not counted, the remaining less than two months will begin to be calculated only after the process is resumed. The decision, made by the Federal Network Agency, will be submitted to the European Commission, which can study it for another four months. When the European regulator issues its opinion, the Federal Agency for Networks will have two more months to make a final decision on the certification of SP-2.
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