Brussels Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has confirmed that the controversial German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 cannot currently be put into operation. When recording a ZDF interview in Brussels on Sunday, the Green politician referred to the agreement in the coalition agreement with the SPD and FDP that European energy law applies to energy projects such as the Baltic Sea pipeline.
“And that means that, as things stand at the moment, this pipeline cannot be approved because it does not meet the requirements of European energy law and safety issues are still in the room anyway,” said Baerbock.
The Greens had heavily criticized the project during the election campaign and also called for construction to be halted. They are much more skeptical of him than, for example, the SPD. The pipeline was not explicitly mentioned in the coalition agreement with the SPD and FDP. The Federal Network Agency had already requested a separation of the areas of trade and transport and therefore suspended the approval process for the line.
Most recently, the new State Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Climate Change, Sven Giegold, called for EU law to be implemented before the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could go into operation. “It is clear that European energy law also applies to this project, the separation of trade and transport is clearly specified,” said the Green politician.
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