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Nord Stream 2 pipeline polarises EU: official

Xinhua, April 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline project has been polarising EU and a solution must be found that would serve as a consensus for all member states involved, stated European Commission Vice-president for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic at GLOBSEC 2016 international security forum here on Saturday.

"The Nord Stream 2 is being intensively discussed at various levels: from experts up to heads of states and governments. Solutions are being sought to prevent the project from dividing the EU countries into winners and losers," stressed Sefcovic.

He added that the EC has been drafting a response to the letter from prime ministers of nine EU countries including Slovakia, who pointed out that Nord Stream 2 might cause potentially destabilising geopolitical consequences for the Central and Eastern European region as well as for EU's near neighborhood and increase the dependency on existing transport route, which is not consistent with goals of EU energy legislation and EU interests.

"It's important to look into the effects on EU energy security, when, instead of three transport routes, we might end up with two or just one," pointed out Sefcovic.

The current gas transit agreement between Russian Gazprom and Ukrainian Naftogaz will expire in 2019. According to Sefcovic, the transit via Ukraine is of strategic importance to EU.

"Talks on new agreement between both companies as well as between Russia and Ukraine must start as soon as possible. The European Commission is prepared to assume the role of mediator, just as was the case in the past. It was also thanks to this approach that we enjoyed two winters without any gas drama," said Sefcovic.

A consortium made up of Russian Gazprom and energy companies E.ON, BASF/Wintershall, OMV, ENGIE and Royal Dutch Shell was created for the Nord Stream 2 project, slated to expand the existing Nord Stream pipeline with current capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. Nord Stream 2 is scheduled to be constructed by the end of 2019. Endit