According to the latest news on Nord Stream 2 from Bloomberg, the European Commission began consulting member states from May 23 on banning gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. This decision will take into account recent developments in negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine.
More importantly, the EU plan has received support from Germany, Bloomberg noted. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, during his visit to Rome last week, said he supported the Commission's "request to start measures in Europe towards the Nord Stream 2 pipeline". One of the German leader's main expectations is that the sanctions will help ease domestic debates over the revival of the Nord Stream 2 project.
Rumors about the possibility of reviving the Nord Stream 2 pipeline have increased this year, in the context of US President Donald Trump promoting the role of mediation between Russia and Ukraine. Although there is no official ban, the activation of Nord Stream 2, a project that was completed but not approved by Germany, and was later damaged in the September 2022 explosion, is considered unlikely to happen in the near future.
The imposition of Nord Stream 2 sanctions will strengthen Europe's increasingly clear stance on not wanting to restore Russian gas transported via pipeline. The ban also helps Germany avoid facing any pressure from the US or Russia.
This is a political move, aiming to strengthen the EUs plan to end Russian gas imports before 2027, said energy expert Florence Schmit from Rabobank ( London).
In recent months, US officials have discussed with Russia the possibility of cooperation in global energy projects. During the talks, it was reported that Russian giant Gazprom wanted the US to help restart the Nord Stream pipeline. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov also confirmed that Russia and the US have discussed gas supplies to Europe.
However, the possibility of restoring Nord Stream or Nord Stream 2 is still considered very low, according to independent expert Tom Marzec-Manser, because the gas pipeline through Turkey or Ukraine is still feasible and more reasonable.
S sanctions on the Nord Stream pipeline are not necessarily to sanction Russia, but to protect the EU itself from future temptations of the bloc. This is a headache, aimed at extinguishing any "political memories" of cheap gas from Russia," said Tatiana Mitrova, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, USA.
The European Commission began consulting member states on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia this weekend. The proposal requires absolute consensus from 27 member states to take effect.
