Nord Stream 2 will have to seek approval from all of Europe

Gazprom, even with the support of Germany, will still not be able to withdraw the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from the EU Gas Directive so easily: consent to this will have to be given not only by the European Commission (EC), but also by a committee from among representatives of all countries of the Union. The EC has a new lever of pressure on Gazprom and Russia, Kommersant writes .

More. In the amendments to the EU Gas Directive, which will be approved on February 20, the provision remains that the gas pipeline must have an operator independent of Gazprom (now it is a structure of the Nord Stream-2 AG monopoly) and access to it by third companies. Since there are no independent exporters of pipeline gas from Russia, the EC may ban Gazprom from using Nord Stream 2 by more than half, by analogy with the Opal gas pipeline.

Nord Stream 2 can be withdrawn from the directive if Germany concludes an intergovernmental agreement with Russia. However, it follows from the amendments that this will be a long and complicated procedure that does not guarantee success.

Germany will have to obtain permission from the EC both to negotiate with Russia and to sign a treaty. The EC will be able to request additional information and make recommendations on the text of the agreement, and the final decision will be taken after consultations with EU member states. All this can delay the signing for years.

In order for exceptions for Nord Stream 2 to be accepted, Germany will have to seek the support of the largest EU countries, at least France and Italy.

Gazprom gave a signal that it takes into account European restrictions and is looking for alternatives in southern Europe: on February 14, the company's chairman of the board, Alexei Miller, allowed the construction of Turkish Stream-2.

Context. The gas pipeline from Russia to the coast of Germany, with the financial support of European partners, is being built by Gazprom, its design capacity is 55 billion cubic meters. m per year. The cost of the offshore part is about 9.5 billion euros, commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2019.

For Germany, Nord Stream 2 is the shortest and cheapest route for natural gas supplies from Russia. However, the project is an alternative to gas transit through Ukraine. In addition to economic significance, it is important for Germany to defend the gas pipeline as a symbol of geopolitical prestige: the country and German Chancellor Angela Merkel personally are being criticized by the United States for their support of the project.

Sergei Smirnov