The proposal to ban the Nord Stream gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany is receiving strong support from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to prevent all efforts from the US and Russia in restoring this gas supply route, the Financial Times reported.
This week, Prime Minister Merz's government announced its support for adding Nord Stream to the list of sanctions in the new round of sanctions of the European Union (EU) against Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine. The prime minister strongly supports sanctions against Nord Stream 2, the German government spokesman confirmed.
The German Chancellor wants to extinguish internal debates about the possibility of restoring the Nord Stream pipeline, three officials said.
In March this year, the Financial Times reported that some businessmen with ties to Russia and some figures in the US were looking to restart the Nord Stream gas pipeline system.
This prompted German Chancellor Merz to start talks with Berlin and Brussels officials on how to prevent the pipeline from being restarted.
Adding Nord Stream to the EU sanctions list could help Mr. Merz remove a political problem, one official noted.
At the same time, this is also a way for Mr. Merz to wholeheartedly Yeuri up the future of the Nord Stream pipeline, rather than letting Germany alone face pressure from both the US and Russia, another official pointed out.
Although it does not have state control over the four branches of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, the German government still has to grant a license if it wants to reactivate the sabotage gas pipeline from September 2022.
The EU sanctions will target Nord Stream 2 AG - a Swiss-based company - along with any company (including companies in Russia or other countries) involved in restarting and operating the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
Nord Stream was once a symbol of the deep economic relationship between Russia and Germany. Before the conflict in Ukraine, the Nord Stream pipeline was a hot spot in the relationship between Berlin and Washington. The US has put pressure on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
US President Donald Trump's efforts to seek a peace deal with Russia over Ukraine have sparked renewed debate in Germany over the future of Nord Stream and Russian gas.
A survey by the Forsa Institute shows that 49% of residents in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - where the Nord Stream pipeline outlet is in Lubmin - support resuming Russian gas imports.
The far-right Affordable Care for Germany ( AfD) party, which won more than 20% of the national vote in the February election, called for a reopening of the Nord Stream system. This view has also received the approval of a number of business leaders and politicians in Mr. Merz's ruling coalition, including the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD).
