No legal standing for EU to block construction of North Stream 2 – Possible negotiations with Moscow

The European Union has reported that it no longer has a legal standing to block the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Brussels now only wants to negotiate with Moscow about safety.

Let us remind that the EU has tried to stop the construction of the pipeline, especially due to pressure from Poland and other Baltic states. The pipeline should double the delivery of the Russian gas towards Europe. The question remains whether Ukraine will be fully excluded from the project.

The Wall Street Journal now writes that they’ve viewed the European Commission document stating it had no legal standing for stopping the construction.

– We don’t like Nord Stream2 politically. This being said, there are no legal grounds for the Commission to oppose Nord Stream 2, because the EU rules do not apply to the offshore part of the pipeline – said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, an energy spokeswoman at the Commission.

The biggest protesters against the expansion of the Russian pipeline at the bottom of the Baltic Sea within the EU are Poland and Slovakia, whose territories are excluded from the new deliveries of Russian gas. Slovakia estimates an annual loss of hundreds of millions of euros on this account.

The chief Polish diplomat, Witold Waszczykowski, said that Russia had betrayed their trust and that “it will give up on expanding Nord Stream, whereas it doesn’t even need South Stream anymore”.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Bruxelles

Nord Stream 2 pipeline

European Commission

Anna Kaisa Itkonen

Witold Waszczykowski

South Stream pipeline