Germany accused the US of encroaching on its sovereignty
Germany considers US extraterritorial sanctions against Nord Stream 2 unacceptable and is ready to take retaliatory measures.
Deputies of the German Bundestag told Izvestia about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
It is noted that US senators have developed a bill directed against the Russian pipelayers Akademik Chersky and Fortuna, which must complete the project. According to American lawmakers, the gas pipeline “threatens the national security of the United States” and “the energy independence of Ukraine and Europe.”
“The current US threat to impose extraterritorial sanctions cannot be viewed as an act of friendship. This is an encroachment on the sovereignty of Germany and the European Union. If this does not stop, we will have to consider serious measures to protect ourselves. For example, punitive tariffs for American natural gas,” said Klaus Ernst, head of the Bundestag Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy.
Timon Gremmels, a member of the same committee, is convinced that potential US sanctions will not interfere with the completion of the project.
“The ban on servicing the gas pipeline, which is being discussed in the States, rather shows that, in Washington’s opinion, Russia will be able to complete it on its own. Germany, for its part, intends to monitor and evaluate further developments of the situation in order to support the completion of the pipeline,” Gremmels noted.
In addition, the MP insists that Berlin supports European companies involved in the project. Thus, MP Martin Neumann says that this also applies to those organizations that insure pipe-laying vessels.
“When it comes to a sustainable energy market, Germany should not be disturbed by geopolitical issues. This also applies to projects such as SP-2, which is guaranteed to cover Europe’s demand for gas. Since the European gas market, despite the role of Russian supplies, is very competitive, I insist that the EU countries become more actively involved in this project,” Neumann emphasized.
In turn, Markus Pieper, a member of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, the main party organizer of the German delegation to the European People's Party, said that American sanctions constitute “an unacceptable interference in European energy and trade policy,” and also called on the European Commission to take a clear position on the problematic approaches that the United States practices in international trade.
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