Editorial. Despite the many obstacles encountered, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is to transport Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, will see the light of day. With the agreement found on Wednesday, July 21, between Berlin and the United States (which had hitherto opposed the project), Angela Merkel sees her tenacity rewarded, a few weeks before the end of her term as chancellor. However, the compromise reached risks weakening the unity of the Twenty-Seven and the credibility of European diplomacy vis-à-vis Russia.
The completion of this project, covering 1,200 kilometers of submarine pipeline, was suspended from the green light of the United States, which intended to support Ukraine, through which until now passes most of the Russian gas to the United States. ‘Europe. At the same time, it was a matter of dissuading the Twenty-Seven from becoming too dependent on Moscow, while diplomatic tensions remain high with the West since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, tensions further heightened with the war in Russia. Donbass. Washington had gone so far as to vote sanctions against the Europeans, to push them to import American gas rather than Russian.
Despite American reluctance, Angela Merkel succeeded in wresting a compromise by committing to defend the interests of Kiev. Germany promises in particular to ensure that Nord Stream 2 does not become a means for Moscow to suffocate Ukraine by stopping the delivery of gas which passes through its territory and which represents a substantial source of income for the country. But the promises of Berlin seem to weigh very little in the balance of power that has been able to establish Vladimir Putin in recent years.
Bad signal
Nothing deterred Berlin from going through with the Nord Stream 2 project. Neither the massive cyberattack on the Bundestag (2015), nor the murder of a Georgian citizen of Chechen origin in a Berlin park (2019), nor the poisoning of the opponent Alexeï Navalny (2020), while Russia is officially accused of being at the origin of these attacks. This affair suggests that the Europeans are ready to accept that Vladimir Poutine acts as he pleases, provided that their economic interests are preserved.
In addition, the continuation of investments in fossil fuels is a very bad signal sent by Germany, just a few days after the presentation of the European Green Pact, which aims for a drastic reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. With l he shutdown of its nuclear power plants in 2022 and coal-fired ones in 2038, Berlin is unscrupulously opting for Russian gas, when, on the contrary, the trajectory set by the Commission should be respected.
It was undoubtedly difficult for the German state to write off the billions of investments already spent in the project and to take its word again by renouncing to go to the end of the Nord Stream 2 project. This agreement offers Berlin the relief of having reconnected the threads of the transatlantic dialogue, which Donald Trump had somewhat loosened. But, at the same time, the compromise pays little heed to Poland, the Baltic countries and Slovakia, which are still standing against this project. Their support will however be essential when it comes to voting sanctions against Moscow, in case Vladimir Putin decides to advance his pawns a little more.
