“Only two weeks have passed since Scholz came to power, and the gas pipeline has already become a headache that he did not need,” the article says.
As noted, the issue of launching the pipeline has turned "into one of the most serious tests for Berlin after the resignation of ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel."
According to the author, Scholz is under pressure from his European allies, who are trying to convince him to use Nord Stream 2 as a "club" against Russia because of the situation in Ukraine.
Earlier, the official representative of the German government, Wolfgang Buchner, said that the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is not a political issue.
On December 16, it became known that the German regulator suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Permanent Representative of Russia to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov called the decision of the German regulator to postpone the certification of Nord Stream 2 as political.
On November 16, it became known that Nord Stream 2 AG decided to establish a subsidiary in Germany in order to meet the country's requirements for certification of the German part of the gas pipeline.