Media: Germany prepares to circumvent U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2
Authorities in the German federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are working to establish a climate protection foundation in order to circumvent U.S. sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, reported Bild, citing sources. Bild's article is entitled "How Schwesig wants to outsmart the U.S. " (Manuela Schwesig heads the government of this German region).
According to Bild, soon after its opening, the Foundation for Climate Protection will recognize Nord Stream 2 as "the most important element for environmental protection in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" and "will make every effort to facilitate the completion of the project." .
To do this, as the newspaper writes, the foundation will create a commercial enterprise offering products and services which will be used to complete the construction of the pipeline. German companies will provide services to this foundation, and the foundation, in turn, will provide services to the Russian side. Thus, no German company will interact directly with Nord Stream 2 and will not be subject to sanctions.
Nord Stream-2 envisages the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year which will be delivered from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The operator of the new pipeline is Nord Stream 2 AG and Russia’s gas giant Gazprom is its biggest shareholder. The European partners of the project are Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper and Wintershall.
The United States actively opposes Nord Stream 2. Washington considers the pipeline as a threat to Europe's energy security. Last December, the U.S. imposed sanctions on the pipeline, causing Swiss subsea construction company Allseas to stop the construction and withdraw its pipe-laying ships from the construction zone.
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have agreed to introduce new restrictions on Nord Stream 2 by the end of this year, Bloomberg reported in early November, citing three sources familiar with the matter. The restrictions are planned to be included in the 2021 Defense Budget. They will affect insurance and certification companies that work with Russian ships.
On Saturday, November 28, the operator of the Nord Stream 2 AG project announced that it is planning to resume construction in early December.