EC says 3rd energy package inapplicable to Nord Stream 2 – operator

MOSCOW, Mar 30 (PRIME) -- The European Commission (EC) has confirmed that conditions of the E.U. third energy package are not applicable to the deep-sea part of the Nord Stream-2 natural gas pipeline, the project’s operator Nord Stream 2 AG said in a statement on Thursday.

“We also acknowledge that the European Commission confirmed yesterday, via a spokesperson, that the provisions of the third internal energy market package are not applicable to offshore pipelines such as Nord Stream 2,” the company said.

On Wednesday, Reuters reported citing Danish newspaper Politiken that the EC invited E.U. member states to state their opinion about the pipeline and that the pipe cannot be operated in a legal vacuum. The commission also will ask member countries for permission to initiate negotiations with Russia in order to reach an agreement that pivotal principles from the union’s legal framework will be imposed on projects like Nord Stream-2, Reuters said.

“In a recent letter the German regulator Bundesnetzagentur clarified to the European Commission that Nord Stream 2 is not being implemented in a legal void. The project will proceed in full compliance with the existing legal framework consisting of E.U. law, intergovernmental conventions and national laws,” Nord Stream 2 AG said in the statement.

“An intergovernmental agreement is not a legal prerequisite or permitting criteria for a pipeline project like Nord Stream 2.”

The Nord Stream-2 project envisages construction of two lines of a natural gas pipeline with an annual capacity of up to 55 billion cubic meters, running from the Russian shore to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Gazprom plans to implement the project together with Germany’s E.ON and BASF, Royal Dutch Shell, Austria’s OMV, and France’s Engie.

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