NEW YORK, January 20. /TASS/. The decision on the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be based on the existing EU regulations and a professional approach, not on political assessments, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in an interview with TASS.
"There are very clear European regulations which have to be met. The problem here I think is that decision making about this rather political than professional. This is the same problem with Sputnik and Nord Stream 2. Now this is considered as a political project. Once again, as a small central European country being exposed to external sources of gas, for us a pipeline is never a political issue. For us a pipeline is always a matter of energy security," Szijjarto said.
"I really do hope that German and European authorities will judge this issue based on their professionalism and regulations," he added.
The Nord Stream 2 saga
The construction of Nord Stream 2 was fully completed on September 10, 2021. The works were initially planned to be completed by the end of 2019, though the construction was postponed due to US sanctions. The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany.
To start pumping gas, Nord Stream 2’s operator has to obtain the green light from the German regulator. On November 16, the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) suspended the procedure to certify Nord Stream 2 AG, which is based in Zug (Switzerland), as an independent transmission operator due to organizational and legal issues. The regulator noted that the certification procedure would remain suspended until the operator’s main assets and human resources were transferred to the ownership of its German subsidiary.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 29 that Russia and its partners had fulfilled their objective of creating Nord Stream 2, adding that it is for Europeans to decide on it now. The Russian leader noted that the pipeline was ready for operation. Once Moscow’s partners in Europe come to a decision on it, then additional volumes of Russian gas will be pumped into the pipeline, Putin said. He also was confident that opening Nord Stream 2’s operation would enable a decline in gas prices in Europe.
Given the new green policy course, Germany now needs more gas because the country is now gradually abandoning the use of coal and nuclear energy.