Brussels, 08/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - The controversial Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline expansion project has provoked much concern in eastern and central Europe and it is going to be causing a few ructions, perhaps to a lesser extent, at the European Council on 17-18 December. In their conclusions, European leaders will highlight the need for all new energy infrastructures to comply with EU interests regarding energy security and independence.
Nord Stream-2 is the name of the Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline project for doubling capacity, which since 2012 links up Russia and Germany under the Baltic Sea. The question is being tackled at the most senior political levels since a letter was sent by seven Central and Eastern European member states (Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia) to the Vice-President of the Commission in charge of Energy Union, Maros Sefcovic. The letter criticises this project, which seeks to reduce the amount of Russian gas transited to Europe through Ukraine. The letter's signatories are concerned about the negative impact on their own energy security (see EUROPE 11443).
In their letter, of which a copy was also sent to the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, these seven countries underlined their fears about the geopolitical ramifications of the Nord Stream-2 project and the threats that it could pose to the stability of supply to their region. They also highlighted the negative impact that Nord Stream-2 would have on Ukraine and the fact that this project did not comply with the principles of the Energy Union project. They are demanding that Nord Stream-2 is subject to all the rules contained in the 3rd internal gas market liberalisation package and that the access rule for third parties is applied to it. These countries also called for the question to be taken to the European Council.
At this stage, it is difficult to know whether this dossier will be formally discussed by the European leaders as part of a broader debate on energy security, given that the agenda at the European Council is already extremely full: migration, fight against terrorism and the United Kingdom. Sources close to President Tusk said that “this is rather on the margins, not a main issue”.
The question will, however, be indirectly mentioned in the European Council conclusions. In a chapter on the Energy Union, the draft conclusions, of which EUROPE has obtained a copy, mentioned that European leaders call “for swift implementation of projects of common interest and optimal use of existing infrastructure for the benefit of market integration and energy security. Any new infrastructure should be fully in line with the objectives of the Energy Union, such as reduction of energy dependency and diversification of suppliers, sources and routes”.
Since the announcement at the beginning of September of a shareholders' pact between the Russian gas company Gazprom and five European partners (the German energy companies E.ON and BASF-Wintershall, the Austrian OMV, Anglo-Dutch company, Royal Dutch Shell and the French Engie company) responsible for building the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, the Commission has repeatedly said that as for any new energy infrastructure project, it would examine the project's compliance with EU law. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)