Green Party leader says German government aware of Nord Stream 2's "political dimension"

The German government no longer regards the pipeline project Nord Stream 2 as a purely private economic endeavour and is aware of the concerns in other EU countries regarding the German-Russian pipeline, Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock said. The statement came with regard to an answer by the government to an inquiry by the Green politician, seen by the Clean Energy Wire. In its answer to Baerbock, the government says that while Nord Stream 2 “primarily is an economic project, clarity about Ukraine’s role in gas transmission is necessary”, adding that its “focus” was now to mediate between the Russian and the Ukrainian government. “This is remarkable,” Baerbock said, adding that this “small-scale change of heart” would remain worthless if the government parties, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative CDU/CSU alliance and the Social Democrats (SPD), continue to block a European legal framework for the “Gazprom-pipeline”, Baerbock said. The Green Party leader said Nord Stream 2 not only perpetuated Germany’s dependence on Russian natural gas producer Gazprom and undermined European sanctions against Russia’s government, but also was “an affront for our eastern European neighbours.” Chancellor Merkel had said in April that political factors had to be taken into account when discussing Nord Stream 2.

For background, read the CLEW news digest piece Merkel says Ukraine must not be excluded from Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the factsheet Germany’s dependence on imported fossil fuels.