The European Parliament called on the EU to stop the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. This is stated in the draft resolution published on April 28 on the website of the European Parliament.
“The EU must reduce its dependence on Russian energy, and therefore urges EU institutions and all member states to stop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” the document says.
The Federation Council called the draft resolution of the European Parliament “empty”. It is of a recommendatory nature and does not meet the interests of the EU countries, for which Nord Stream 2 is economically profitable, stressed Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs.
Earlier on April 28, a representative of the American administration pointed to the existence of disagreements between the United States and Germany on Nord Stream 2, noting that the United States considers the construction of the pipeline to be a bad deal, as US President Joe Biden previously stated, and even tried to convince Berlin on this issue.
On April 26, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that Nord Stream 2 is important for Germany from the standpoint of ensuring energy security and is not a lever of influence on Russia.
A day earlier, the Minister of Energy and Economy of Germany Peter Altmeier urged not to politicize the project.
On April 20, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany had made a choice in favor of building Nord Stream 2, despite criticism from EU countries. She noted that there is a political struggle around the project, but Berlin should maintain interaction with Moscow, including in the energy sector.
Nord Stream 2 “involves the construction of two lines of a gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The United States actively opposes the project, promoting its liquefied natural gas in the EU.
It is planned to complete the pipeline already this year, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.