North Stream’s fate is not decided yet. As the saying goes, “Where there’s a will there’s a way “. On the one hand, the North Stream 2 project is barred by current political tension and sanctions, but on the other hand potential commercial benefit, together with low temperatures and unaddressed gas supply issue, heightens the need to develop the project.
In spite of serious political disputes, Russia’s Western partners cannot miss such a brilliant opportunity. The members of the European Commission were not able to come to an agreement on whether to support the project and decided to leave the pipeline’s fate in Germany’s hands. European Commission Vice President of Energy Union Maros Sefcovic asked the German regulator to analyze the prospects of the North Stream project as German’s assessment is needed to negotiate the main technical characteristics of the gas hub. Besides, the politician believes that it is the tenacious Germans who will do the best job in studying legal aspects of the project, including its environmental safety procurement procedure.
EU leaders note that the process of making a decision is impeded as they have not been provided with a precise project plan yet. To launch the construction of a multi-kilometer gas pipeline is a big step which requires careful consideration of numerous characteristics. In addition, the new project must comply fully with the European legislation. This is the major aspect that the German regulator will have to deal with.
