Ukrainian crisis, live: the EU approves a “sanctions package” against Russia “unanimously” – Le Monde

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, announced on Tuesday the suspension of the certification of the gas pipeline, essential to “its commissioning”. The project will be subject to a “revaluation” policy by the Ministry of Economy due to the “geopolitical situation” New.

The gas pipeline, whose construction has been completed since last autumn, is not in service due to a legal blockage by the German energy regulator: it does not yet comply with European and German legislation in the sector. But the decision announced on Tuesday goes further. The German government has withdrawn an advisory ” Politics “ favorable that it had issued so far concerning the gas pipeline and concluding that there was no risk of ” security “ national project. It is this point which will be reconsidered.

Nord Stream 2 connects Russia to Germany via a 1,230 kilometer tube under the Baltic Sea, with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year, following the same route as its twin Nord Stream 1, operational since 2012. Bypassing Ukraine, the route is supposed to increase the possibility of delivering Russian gas to Europe, at a time when production within the European Union (EU) is declining.

Promoted by the Russian giant Gazprom, the project, estimated at more than 10 billion euros, was co-financed by five European groups in the energy sector (OMV, Engie, Wintershall Dea, Uniper and Shell). Germany is, within the EU, the main promoter of the gas pipeline, which, according to it, will help it to accomplish the energy transition in which it is committed, while making its territory a European gas hub.

But the opponents of the project were numerous. Ukraine, in the first place, was afraid of losing the income it derives from the transit of Russian gas and of being more vulnerable vis-à-vis Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his call for a halt on Tuesday morning ” immediate “ of the project. His head of diplomacy welcomed the suspension, “politically and morally justified”. The United States has been upwind from the start against a development that risked weakening Ukraine economically and strategically, increasing the EU’s dependence on Russian gas and dissuading Europeans from buying gas. of shale that the Americans hope to sell them.