The revised EU Gas Directive will take effect before the end of construction of Nord Stream 2 and will apply to this project. This was stated by the head of the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission Dominic Ristori.

“We expect rapid entry into force, that is, until the end of Nord Stream 2, that is, the directive will be applied to this project,” he said at a press conference on Monday, March 4. His words leads RIA News.

The press service of the operator of the project Nord Stream 2 AG said that the impact of the revised EU gas directive on the implementation of the "Nord Stream - 2" will be known after the document is approved. The company noted that they "took note that the amendments to the Gas Directive were preliminary agreed".

“However, the review process is still ongoing, and any legislation needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, as well as to the EU member states to bring their legislation in line with the requirements of this document,” said Nord Stream 2 AG.

The companies concluded that they would continue to observe the process of discussing the document and “refrain from speculating about the possible consequences for the project until it is officially approved.”

At the same time, the gas pipeline operator noted that more than 800 km of the pipeline has been laid in accordance with the permissions of four countries. The project will continue in accordance with current legislation.

In turn, the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, believes that Nord Stream 2 will not repeat the fate of South Stream. “Apparently not,” he said, answering the corresponding question from journalists.

  • Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Board of PJSC Gazprom
  • Reuters
  • © Maxim Shemetov

Recall, "Nord Stream - 2" - is the offshore gas pipeline, which will pass through the Baltic Sea from the coast of Russia to Germany. The pipeline is designed for the transit of 55 billion cubic meters. m of gas per year. It is expected that construction work will be completed at the end of 2019.

“Some forces in the United States will be pleased with this”

The amendments to the Gas Directive extend the EU energy standards to gas pipelines sent to EU countries from third countries. The document regulates that the gas pipeline must have an operator independent of Gazprom, and independent gas suppliers must have access to 50% of the project’s capacity.

In the process of working on the document, Germany insisted that the decision on the applicability of EU energy standards for gas pipelines from third countries be made by the state on whose territory the pipeline enters the EU territory.

Germany fully approves the gas pipeline project, Sergey Pikin, director of the Energy Development Fund, said in an interview with RT.

According to him, other countries may try to block the capacity of other gas pipelines that will go through the land part of the European continent.

“Just like this is done with the gas pipeline Opal. It was also limited by the EU directive for a long time, then the possibility of exchange trading with the remaining quotas went further, in fact we see that last year it was fully loaded, ”the expert says.

According to Pikin, there are several countries that are particularly "like" Gazprom, they will attempt to block the project.

“But Germany has the opportunity to hold its position if they can agree, for example, with France and Italy, that together they will make a decision in terms of occupancy of gas pipelines that will go along the land part,” the expert believes.

Pikin concluded that the Nord Stream 2 project will be implemented, but it will be tried to be influenced by the Gas Directive.

Konstantin Simonov, Director of the National Energy Security Fund, believes that there is no danger for Nord Stream 2 in this European document. At the same time, the expert noted that the launch of the gas pipeline is a matter of competitiveness of the European economy.

“If the EU follows the path of war with its main gas supplier, certain forces in the US will probably be glad of this, but on the whole it will reduce the competitiveness of the European economy. I hope that the EU respects its own rights and will be guided by fair law enforcement, not political demagogy, ”the expert concluded.