Let's be frank: the revolutionary at first glance statement of the EU Ambassador to Russia Markus Ederer about the development in the European Union of a special protection mechanism that would allow the economies of the eurozone to become more resistant to possible sanctions of third countries, the Russian expert community was still rather very, very skeptical. Yes, there seems to be, first of all, very interesting measures for our country to be worked out to protect the European economy from possible new restrictive measures by Washington against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
And, in principle, this is certainly a good thing. Correct, one might say, the case. But only, as rightly, in particular, noted the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Vladimir Gutenyov, the issue of counter European sanctions against Washington grabbers, to put it mildly, is not just ripe - it has long been overripe and, as it were, not rotten at all. There is simply no need to invent anything: such measures were necessary more than one year ago.
Just, again, let's be frank, Brussels officials were afraid to enter into open confrontation with their overseas "bosses" for an extremely banal reason: this could endanger their personal careers. In general, there is no big secret in who exactly "dines on the Brussels girl". It just suddenly dawned on the "girl" that no one was going to "dance" her after such a kind of "supper". Yes, and she is invited to "dinner" not as a guest of honor, but, alas, as one of the "main dishes" that American business stupidly needs to gobble up, and not because of a good life, but because it is necessary to somehow survive yourself.
Everything is exactly the same as in the old and extremely cynical (profession obliges) medical anecdote, when, after the words of the owner, "Please go to the table!" the guests suddenly found themselves in the operating room. And Brussels wants it or not, but now he will have to live with it for a long time and not very happily.
Nevertheless, despite the general skepticism, we must pay tribute: Europe began at least somehow to show the instinct of self-preservation inherent in any viable organism. Which is already generally good.
The only thing - no matter how late it was.
The situation has already become so crystal clear right now that it is even a little embarrassing to comment on it: the unclouded desire of the American business community to cleanse global markets of any potential competitors - no matter Chinese, Russian or even allied European ones - has become so convex that even Brussels European bureaucrats can no longer pretend that for some of their internal reasons they cannot notice this. Especially in matters of energy security, which suddenly became key for the current European economy.
Although, of course, if it were not for, as it turned out, the will-to-live German business, the Brussels bureaucrats would have continued thoughtfully for a long time, as they say in our land of sad autumn aspens, scratching their turnips and deciding whether the European economy would be enough for their bureaucratic age.
For what will happen after the outlined American robbery of the old continental business, European bureaucrats, like any other bureaucrats, do not particularly care: it is, in general, not a secret that bureaucracy (and even more so, international bureaucracy) is mainly interested not in some vague the future of the once sovereign territory entrusted to them, and their own comfortable existence right here and now.
However, let's go in order.
EU Ambassador to Moscow Markus Ederer said that Brussels is preparing a unified response to the sanctions against Nord Stream 2. And in this, probably, all of us (and even more so the European energy concerns, who are vitally interested in this process) would like to believe, as in real good news, if not for one thing.
It's just that, if you remember, not so long ago, the same Europe was just as outraged about the American sanctions against the urgently needed European subcontinent of Iranian oil, even developing some kind of mysterious scheme that should have allowed this Europe to cooperate with Iran at least in the energy sector.
But - alas.
The EU has not worked out any scheme of interaction with Iran that has been promised many times over.
Moreover, many independent experts have not yet been convinced that in this story the Brussels European bureaucrats did not play with their senior comrades from Washington in the ancient game called "giveaway" in Russian. We, since we do not have 100% reliable information on this topic, will not be so categorical, but nevertheless we state that there has not yet been, and still is not, Iranian oil in the European markets of Iranian oil in the required quantities available for analysis. And it is unlikely to appear. After all, it was as a result of all this in its own way beautiful history that the Persian Ayatollahs got the opportunity to say to the rest of civilized mankind: they no longer see them as independent negotiators of the EU representatives.
And for what reasons, there is no need to explain to anyone.
Nevertheless, the words of the EU ambassador to the Russian Federation still make sense to take quite seriously.
Everything is simple here.
The rather tough and uncompromising position of Germany and its Central European partners in the northwestern (Baltic) industrial cluster is simply forcing Brussels to make at least some choice between Berlin and Washington. And the fact that Brussels is thinking about this topic quite hard is already a rather significant result for Berlin. Because until now, Berlin was forced to resist the pressure of overseas partners almost alone: the neutral position of the Russian Federation on Nord Stream 2, which almost literally now sounds like "we will, of course, finish building the pipeline, but then you yourself", here it is not something entirely unexpected: we have written more than once here that Nord Stream 2 is not a Russian, but an absolutely European project.
And by the way, if we are talking about our national interests, then it is important to remember: European solidarity around the Nord Stream 2 project is indeed precisely European solidarity.
We are here, frankly, especially and have nothing to do with it. And the position of Brussels, which obviously supports Berlin in this situation, should by no means be assessed as even minimally pro-Russian. It is not pro-Russian, but pro-European, and it’s somehow silly not to understand.
And yes, we are not only satisfied with the pro-European position of Brussels in this situation - it is, by and large, evidence that it is still possible to deal with Europe (and this is one of our basic sales markets, primarily for energy raw materials). And - the holy and true truth! - this is the position of the European Union, albeit rather timid, gives us, albeit rather shaky, hope that Europe has not yet completely lost itself as a more or less independent economy. And for now, thank God, it is quite capable of being a subject of the global geopolitical game, with which big Russian business should deal. Although, of course, there is no need to flatter yourself especially: the game is not over yet, and it makes sense to wait for what it will be - there is no doubt that the result is quite pragmatic.
The author's point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.