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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Liverpool
Photo: Thomas Koehler / imago images / photothek
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has confirmed that the controversial German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 cannot currently be put into operation.
When recording a ZDF interview in Brussels on Sunday, the Green politician referred to the agreement in the coalition agreement with the SPD and FDP that European energy law applies to energy projects such as the Baltic Sea pipeline. "And that means that, as things stand at the moment, this pipeline cannot be approved because it does not meet the requirements of European energy law and the security issues are still in the room anyway," said Baerbock.
During the election campaign, the Greens strongly criticized the project and called for construction to be halted. Baerbock had also spoken out against an operating permit for Nord Stream 2. Since the traffic light government of the SPD, Greens and FDP with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) began its work, Baerbock has been in a quandary because the SPD supports the pipeline project in principle. The pipeline was not explicitly mentioned in the coalition agreement with the SPD and FDP. The Federal Network Agency has until the beginning of January to decide on an operating permit for the pipes, through which up to 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas will be delivered from Russia to Germany annually.
Most recently, the new Secretary of State for Economic Affairs in the Climate Ministry, Sven Giegold, called for EU law to be implemented before the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could go into operation.
"It is clear that European energy law also applies to this project, the separation of trade and transport is clearly specified," the Green politician said.
jso / Reuters / dpa