The operator of the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 eventually fell victim to retaliatory measures taken by Berlin after the outbreak of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and was forced to file for bankruptcy.
The 106 employees of the company, based in the Swiss canton of Zug, have been made redundant, the canton's economic manager, Silvia Thalmann-Gut, confirmed on Tuesday in an interview with the public channel.
Read alsoKeys to understanding Nord Stream 2, gas blackmail
"
We were informed today (Tuesday), that this company could not continue (...) it had to file for bankruptcy and the employees received their dismissal letters
", she explained to SRF .
The company has not been able to put in place a social plan "
because it is insolvent
", specified the cantonal official.
The day before, the Federal Minister for the Economy Guy Parmelin had given the company's difficulties as an example to illustrate the impact of the economic sanctions decided against Russia, including on the Swiss economy.
However, the minister was wrong about the number of layoffs.
He had mentioned 142 of them.
The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was defended for years by the ex-chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel at the cost of strong tensions in particular with the United States, which saw in this pipeline a means for the Russian president to blackmail energy to Europe's leading economy.
Military preparations for the invasion of Ukraine and finally the assault by the Russian army last week precipitated the fate of this installation which has an annual capacity of 55 billion m3 and which was ready to go into operation. .
Suspension and Penalties
At the beginning of last week, Berlin had finally announced the suspension of the pharaonic site on which it was counting to accomplish its energy transition.
The next day, it was US President Joe Biden himself who announced sanctions against Nord Stream 2. "
Today, I have ordered my administration to impose sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG and its leaders
", the White House tenant said in a statement.
The parent company of this company is the Russian giant Gazprom.
Read alsoUkraine: Westerners activate their first round of sanctions, Berlin resolves to block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
This 1,230 kilometer underwater tube worth $11 billion was completed at the end of 2021, but had not yet been commissioned pending certification from Germany.
This investment of 11 billion is nothing more than
"a piece of steel, resting at the bottom of the sea"
, assured the spokesman for American diplomacy, Ned Price.