Habeck dares Nord Stream push because of the Ukraine conflict - although Scholz's words sounded very different before

Created: 12/19/2021 Updated: 12/19/2021, 6:56 AM

Robert Habeck (Greens), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) in the Bundestag (archive photo).

© Kay Nietfeld / dpa

Robert Habeck does not want any “thinking bans” in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine - not even with regard to Nord Stream 2.

Shortly before that, Scholz expressed himself differently.

Berlin - The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is a contentious issue that the new traffic light government has inherited. Discussions about this have been going on for years - and they are very present again now. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has now shown himself to be open to thinking about the consequences for the Baltic Sea pipeline in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine *.

Regarding the pending operating permit for the pipeline from Russia to Germany, the Greens * politician told the

that the Federal Network Agency would decide according to the law.

"Another question is what happens if Russia continues to violate the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the situation escalates." Any further military aggression could not be without severe consequences.

"There can be no prohibition of thinking."

Nord Stream 2: Scholz sees pipeline and Ukraine crisis separated

After the EU summit in Brussels, Chancellor Olaf Scholz * (SPD) made it clear that he sees the operating permit for the controversial gas pipeline and the efforts to de-escalate the Ukraine crisis as separate processes. "With regard to Nord Stream 2, it is a private-sector project," he said on Friday night. For the commissioning of the pipeline, compliance with European law has to be clarified in one aspect. “An authority in Germany decides on this quite apolitically,” emphasized the SPD politician. This is "a different question" than the current efforts to prevent a violation of the Ukrainian borders.

The Baltic Sea pipeline was completed weeks ago.

The Federal Network Agency decides on the operating permit.

Its President Jochen Homann said on Thursday that a permit for gas transport would not be decided before mid-2022.

Controversial Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2 - USA and some EU countries sharply criticize the project

The pipeline has long been criticized by the US, but also by some EU countries.

They fear that they are too dependent on Russia for energy supplies.

At its summit, the EU * threatened Russia * with retaliation in the event of an attack on Ukraine.

In a joint statement by the heads of state and government, Russia urgently needs to defuse the tensions caused by the deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine and aggressive rhetoric.