With the imposition of severe Western sanctions in response to Russia's military action against Ukraine, the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project, which was urgently stopped by Germany before it was put into operation, has once again become the focus of attention of various countries. Timothy Garton Ash, a prominent Oxford scholar on the modern and contemporary history of Eastern Europe, described it as "the most significant sanction" the West has taken so far in response to the Russian action.
Where did the Nord Stream-2 project and its controversy come from? Why has Germany been hesitant to sanction the project for so long, even accused of being "NATO's weakest link"? Does this suspension declare that the project is suspended? How do nord stream-2 and its associated energy issues reflect the EU's "Achilles heel" on the issue of strategic autonomy? China News Service reporters interviewed a number of experts in Europe for in-depth interpretation.
The data map shows the pipeline facilities of Nord Stream II in Russia. China News Service Fa Beixi No. 2 Company Courtesy of
"Nord Stream-2": Controversy accompanies the entire construction process and is shut down before it is operational
The 1,224-kilometer Nord Stream-2 is an undersea gas pipeline that crosses the Baltic Sea from Vyborg, Russia, to Greifswald, Germany. The Nord Stream-2 is completely parallel to the Nord Stream-1 pipeline, which has been built and put into use, and according to the design plan, after its commissioning, the two gas pipelines will transport a total of 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas to Europe every year, which is expected to provide about 26 million households in the EU with the required gas consumption.
In 2013, planning for Nord Stream-2 began. However, the Ukraine crisis that broke out the following year led transit countries such as Ukraine and Poland, which have overland gas pipelines to transport Russian gas to Europe, to strongly oppose the construction of Nord Stream-2 on the grounds that "Russia may use this project as a geopolitical weapon."
In 2018, the "Nord Stream-2" began to be laid. Then-US President Donald Trump signed a bill in December 2019 imposing sanctions on companies participating in the Nord Stream-2 project. Merkel's government criticized the United States for interfering in Germany's internal affairs and refused to accept such "extraterritorial sanctions." After Biden took office, the U.S. government did not change its position against the construction of the Nord Stream-2 project. In September 2021, the project was announced to be completed.
The analysis believes that although the Nord Stream-2 project company is registered in Switzerland, in fact, Germany and Russia are the largest stakeholders. Coupled with The fact that Germany has drawn up a roadmap for a full exit from nuclear and coal energy, demand for natural gas will only increase in the short term. Coupled with multiple factors, the current German Chancellor Schoerz was reluctant to call a halt to the project until the Munich security conference in mid-this month.
The reversal of the situation occurred on the 22nd of this month, with the Russian side announcing the recognition of the independence of the separated regions of eastern Ukraine, Andrz officially announced the suspension of the approval process of the Nord Stream-2 project on the same day.
EU sanctions against Russia: The process of strategic autonomy is frustrated
"Nord Stream-2 has effectively fallen prey to geopolitics." Gu Xuewu, tenured chair professor of political science and international relations at the University of Bonn and director of the Global Research Center, analyzed to reporters that the project may not be approved for a long time in the future, considering that it has not been put into operation itself, so it has no substantial impact on the energy supply of Germany and the European Union.
Stefan Kurts, deputy director of the Geehr Institute for The World Economy in Germany, believes that the sanctions against Russia are undoubtedly the Russian side, but the EU countries led by Germany will also pay a corresponding price.
In response to the West's desire to achieve the goal of withdrawing Russia's troops through sanctions, he pointed out that from historical experience, sanctions on a country with a large size are unlikely to achieve the goal, and "the sanctions imposed on Russia in 2014 show this."
A report by the German Allianz Group on the 24th also pointed out that compared with 2014, Russia is now in a more economic position to withstand the consequences of sanctions. When it comes to energy, europe has limited alternative options with the exception of Russia. If the conflict between the two sides escalates and Russia completely cuts off the supply of natural gas to Europe, the recession in the euro area is almost a foregone conclusion.
Gu Xuewu analyzed that the current development of the situation will lead to a deepening of Europe's dependence on the United States in energy supply and security policies.
The data map shows the pipeline facilities of Nord Stream II in Germany. China News Service Fa Beixi No. 2 Company Courtesy of
Or force Germany and Europe to accelerate the pace of energy transformation and self-reliance
The impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict at the energy supply and macroeconomic levels is becoming apparent day by day. According to the Financial Times, on the 24th, crude oil prices broke through $105 per barrel for the first time since 2014, while European natural gas prices soared by more than 30%. Germany's ruling coalition has also approved a multi-billion euro bailout package aimed at alleviating the burden on rising energy prices.
However, in the view of Shi Shiwei, a visiting professor at the Free University of Berlin in Germany, the recent exposure of the problem of excessive dependence on a single country for energy supply will prompt Germany and other EU countries to accelerate the pace of developing new energy and further diversify the sources of energy imports.
"But overall, geopolitical uncertainty will undoubtedly make europe's already difficult economic recovery in the post-pandemic era even more difficult." He said.
Source: China News Service