France Does Not Support Germany’s Stance on Nord Stream 2

France and Germany have different stances on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but discussions are ongoing between the countries to find a common vision for the project, Minister of State for European Affairs of France Clément Beaune said.

“We are wary of this project because it creates dependence on Russia,” he noted.

The day before, the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) rejected the request of two environmental organisations to ban the gas pipeline construction in the economic zone of Germany. The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) and the environmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) fear that pipe laying works will have a negative impact on the marine ecosystem and bird sanctuary. Authorities ruled that those fears were unfounded.

Meanwhile, the Nord Stream 2 AG consortium, which is behind the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, made a statement on growing security threats to the project.

Consortium’s senior official Andrey Minin pointed out that the project’s fleet had been the target of “regular provocations by the foreign civil and military vessels.” According to him, the number of cases of low-flying “foreign planes” over the Nord Stream 2’s vessels has increased in the second half of March.

According to Nord Stream 2 AG data, the pipeline is 95% complete. Currently, about 121 kilometers remain to be built.

The United States, Ukraine and the Baltic states actively oppose the construction of the pipeline, fearing that the Russian Federation will increase its influence in the European energy market. At the same time, the German government advocates completing the construction of Nord Stream 2, upon condition that gas transit through Ukraine is preserved.

Bohdan Marusyak