Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) has condemned the planned US sanctions against companies in connection with the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. "European energy policy is decided in Europe, not in the US," he said. "In principle, we refuse external intervention and sanctions with extraterritorial effects."
His party colleague and the first parliamentary managing director of the SPD, Carsten Schneider, expressed himself clearly undiplomatic. "The US has finally arrived back in the Wild West, where only the law of the strongest applies," he told the SPIEGEL. "If sanctions are now used against allies, we face hard times." Those who act like that soon have no more allies. Schneider stressed that Europe should not and can not be blackmailed to buy "dirty American LPG".
The US Congress passed a law on Wednesday providing for sanctions against companies laying concrete-coated pipes in the Baltic Sea. Currently this is the Swiss company Allseas. Their managers are threatened with visa withdrawal and asset freeze in the US. (Read here an analysis of the sanctions).
"US sanctions are symbolic"
Green leader Annalena Baerbock told the SPIEGEL that in the matter was Nord Stream 2 through and through wrong, both energy policy and security policy. The method of the US administration is irresponsible. "It is an unprecedented interference in the EU's internal affairs, and the US President demonstrates once again that he is replacing political action with blackmail," she said. Omid Nouripour, foreign affairs spokesman for the Greens, said the sanctions are an unacceptable interference with sovereignty.
The foreign policy spokesman for the FDP faction, Bijan Djir-Sarai, told the SPIEGEL: "US sanctions are symbolic in nature and will no longer have a real political impact." These sanctions would probably extend the construction and make it more expensive. "But they will not be able to stop Nord Stream 2 as an overall project, it's too late for that."
Left-wing parliamentary leader Dietmar Bartsch called the sanctions another low point in the transatlantic relationship. "The federal government can not afford that," said Bartsch. "Trump is launching an economic war against Europe." The Federal Government should not give in to this extortion in any case.
Business representatives had previously called on the federal government to respond to the sanctions with sanctions.
