Birds or sanctions

What is more interfering with the completion of the construction of the Nord Stream - 2?

It is already obvious that the Northern Stream 2 gas pipeline, connecting Russia with European countries along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, will not be completed on time, that is, until January 1 of the New Year. The other day, the Nord Stream 2 project operator asked Germany to extend the construction time for winter and spring months. So far, Germany has not responded to the request, but environmentalists have already opposed: construction should take place on the site where hundreds of thousands of waterfowl winter from January to March. However, now the main problem of Nord Stream 2 is not birds, but the US Congress, which has approved sanctions for European companies participating in the construction of the gas pipeline last week.

The document has already approved the Senate, and in the coming days it should be signed by Donald Trump, who has already stated that he was ready to do this immediately.

The main question is who will have time faster: Russia - to end the project or the USA - to impose sanctions that can complicate its completion.

On Tuesday, Nord Stream 2 stated that they “do not intend to speculate” on the terms of the completion of construction. At the same time, they noted that they plan to complete the gas pipeline for several months, that is, later the originally scheduled date.

Previously, the company's breakdown in the company was explained by a delay in permission from Denmark. Denmark was the last country, which agreed on the construction of the gas pipeline in its territorial waters. Nord Stream 2 submitted the first application to the Danish Energy Agency in 2017, but Denmark issued a resolution of Denmark only on October 31. The Danes explained the delay in the need for consultations within the country and at the international level due to the possible impact of the environment on the environment.

Now Nord Stream 2 needs to get permission from Germany to extend work for several months. German environmentalists are opposed. In an interview with Deutsche Welle, Ecologist Kim Detloff noted that migratory birds will suffer: “A section of the pipeline that is now being built is located in the zone of the European Bird Reserve.

In the next few months, more than a million marine birds will fly there. That is why it was originally planned to complete the construction of the gas pipeline by the end of December. ”

So far, Germany has not decided on the response of the Nord Stream 2. And this is understandable: on the one hand, it is difficult to ignore the arguments of ecologists, on the other hand, Germany, due to the latest news from the United States, is very interested in the construction ended as soon as possible.

Last week, the US Congress approved the defense budget for the next year, and on Tuesday it was agreed by the Senate. The document prescribes “Protection of European Energy Security using sanctions against Northern Stream 2 and“ Turkish Stream ”. How exactly the sanctions mechanism will work, it is not said. But it is already clear that they will affect European companies participating in the construction of the gas pipeline, among which there are German firms. Explaining the essence of these sanctions, the head of the US Senate Commission on International Relations, Jim Rish expressed the hope that this would force the company to abandon further participation in the project. “It will cost them expensive,” he said. “I think the Russians will have to look for other ways to do this (finish construction).”

Information has already appeared in the media that the Swiss construction company Allseas, which is engaged in laying the Northern Stream -2 pipes, thinks about leaving the project. However, these rumors do not confirm in the company itself, but do not refute. “We are carefully monitoring the development of the situation,” they told Novaya Gazeta in Allseas. “So far we cannot speculate on possible sanctions.”

The decision of the American Congress immediately commented on the Russian Foreign Ministry. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Grushko called him expected.

“The orientation is absolutely obvious - obtaining unilateral advantages of the United States in the gas field by infringing on the interests of Europeans, end consumers.”

Unhappy with the decision of the United States and in Germany. For her, the gas pipeline is important: firstly, it will allow it to become a gas hub in Europe, and secondly, among investors and contractors of the project there are German companies, which are now under the blow. Foreign Minister of Germany Haiko Maas called sanctions by interference in the internal affairs of the country. “The European Energy Policy should be determined in Europe, and not in the USA. We fundamentally reject foreign intervention and extraterritorial sanctions. ”