MOSCOW – The European Commission has submitted a request to the Council of the European Union to receive a mandate for talks with Russia regarding key aspects of how the Nord Stream 2 project will function, the EC said in a statement.
“The Commission seeks to ensure that, if built, Nord Stream 2 operates in a transparent and non-discriminatory way with an appropriate degree of regulatory oversight, in line with key principles of international and EU energy law,” it said.
“Creating a well-diversified and competitive gas market is a priority of the EU’s energy security and Energy Union strategy. As we have stated already several times, Nord Stream 2 does not contribute to the Energy Union’s objectives. If the pipeline is nevertheless built, the least we have to do is to make sure that it will be operated in a transparent manner and in line with the main EU energy market rules,” the EC Vice-President for Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic, was quoted as saying.
“As any other infrastructure project in the EU, Nord Stream 2 cannot and should not operate in a legal void or according to a third country’s energy laws only. We are seeking to obtain a Council mandate to negotiate with Russia a specific regime which will apply key principles of EU energy law to Nord Stream 2 to preserve the functioning of the European internal energy market,” said Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete.
“The Commission considers that the Nord Stream 2 project does not contribute to the Energy Union objectives of giving access to new supply sources, routes or suppliers and that it could allow a single supplier to further strengthen its position on the European Union gas market and lead to a further concentration of supply routes. There is existing, well-functioning gas transportation infrastructure in place to ensure Europe’s energy supply. Building Nord Stream 2, would, at the same time, endanger existing transport routes, notably via Ukraine,” the EC said in addition.
The Nord Stream 2 project involves the construction of a third and fourth lines of the Nord Stream pipeline across the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, doubling the capacity of this route to 110 billion-120 billion cubic meters of gas per year. The project is led by Russia’s Gazprom. The foreign partners are Engie, OMV, Shell, Uniper and Wintershall.
