Negotiations on Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to start soon

On Monday EU Vice-President in Charge with Energy Policy Maroš Šefčovič officially asked the EU member states for a mandate for negotiations with the Russian Federation on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which would transport gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, thus avoiding Slovakia and Ukraine. He admitted that this is a politically sensitive issue and a project that has long been shared by EU Member States. Šefčovič said that currently 12 ministers from 12 EU member states have appreciated the EC's efforts and supported the proposed approach to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, with several countries wanting an even more ambitious mandate. The draft mandate is now on the table of national experts and will be politically negotiated again in the autumn. The fate of the project became uncertain after the Polish Antimonopoly Office blocked its construction last August.