BERLIN, July 27. /TASS/. Putting pressure on the Nord Stream 2 project, Washington ignores the interests of its allies in Europe, head of the Bundestag (German parliament) Economy and Energy Committee Klaus Ernst told TASS.
"The dispute around Nord Stream 2 demonstrates that representatives of the American politics are trying to use political means to promote their own interests without reference to allies," he said.
The politician is not sure that Germany will manage to settle disputes with Washington during its EU Presidency that started on July 1. "The period is too short," he noted.
On June 17, the economy committee urged the German government to draft measures to respond to the US sanctions against Nord Stream 2. Asked whether there is any progress regarding that matter, Ernst said: "There is progress in the sense that due to our activity the European Commission has woken up and is considering countermeasures."
Infringing on EU sovereignty
The US sanctions pressure on participants of the Nord Stream 2 project violates the sovereignty of Europe and, particularly, Germany, the head of the Bundestag (German parliament) Economy and Energy Committee told TASS.
"As before, I am astonished by the actions of the US government. I consider it a direct attack on Germany's and Europe's sovereignty," he said.
"The German government firmly disapproves of the US threats, though officially no information has been provided by the cabinet of ministers on particular countermeasures," he said, adding that "a growing number of politicians representing the federal government lobby for a tougher approach."
Bloomberg agency reported with reference to sources in Berlin at the end of June that the German government was drafting measures in case the US carried out threats regarding expansion of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project. According to the agency, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is considering the possibility of developing coordinated efforts by the EU in case Washington passes new sanctions against the project, the agency said with reference to two German officials.
The House of Representatives of the US Congress adopted earlier the National Defense Authorization Act for the next fiscal year (starts on October 1), which obliges the administration to toughen sanctions against Russia’s Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipeline projects. It implies imposing restrictions against foreign persons, who greatly contribute to sale, lease or provision of vessels for laying pipes intended for construction of Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines.
The US exterritorial sanctions were repeatedly criticized by German officials. Chancellor Merkel said that she considers Nord Stream 2 an economic project that should be completed.
The Nord Stream 2 project envisages construction of two gas pipeline strings with the total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea. The gas pipeline is 93% complete to date. The construction was suspended at the end of 2019 when the Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas stopped work due to US sanctions.