MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. Requirements of the European Commission (EC) to grant access to Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to other Russian companies in addition to Gazprom, which are contained in a draft mandate for talks with Russia, are not legally binding, a source in the EC told TASS on Wednesday.
"The mandate shall lead to talks on a voluntary basis; there is nothing legally binding. However, the access of third parties is a very important element for us," the source said.
The draft mandate does not contain any quantity parameters of gas deliveries by independent companies over the Nord Stream 2, he added.
Implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project will not require any special regime, Chief Executive Officer of Russia’s Gazprom Alexei Miller said earlier.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is expected to come into service at the end of 2019. The pipeline is set to run from the Russian coast along the Baltic Sea bed to the German shore. Each of the pipeline’s two stretches will have a capacity of 27.5 bln cubic meters. The new pipeline will double the capacity of the first stretch and will basically follow its route.
Swiss Nord Stream 2 AG was established for the planning, construction and operation of the gas pipeline, which now belongs entirely to Gazprom.