EU Council Adopts Gas Directive Amendment. It will also affect Nord Stream 2

The Council of the European Union adopted gas directive amendment establishing rules for the European gas market. It will apply to all pipelines from non-EU countries, including Nord Stream 2. The document is published on the official EU website. “The overall objective of the amendment to the gas directive is to ensure that the rules governing the EU's internal gas market apply to gas transmission lines between a member state and a third country”, – stated in the message. Among the main elements of the EU gas market rules are ownership unbundling, third-party access, non-discriminatory tariffs and transparency requirements. The amendments were previously adopted by EU Ministers and the European Parliament. At the same time, a compromise was reached between France and other countries that are skeptical about Nord stream 2 and Germany, which supports its construction. According to media, the compromise provides that the format of application of EU standards to such projects as underwater pipelines will be determined by the EU country, on the territory of which gas will be supplied, that is, in the case of Nord Stream 2, Germany. At the same time, the text of the gas directive provides that pipeline operators should be independent from fuel suppliers. It is not the case with Nord Stream 2: in both cases, we are talking about Gazprom. The Ministry of Energy of Russia and the Operator Company of Nord Stream 2, however, say that the amendments to the directive will not affect the project. Laying of Nord Stream 2 pipes on the bottom of the Baltic Sea continues. It is expected that the gas pipeline from Russia to Germany will be completed by the end of 2019. The USA and Ukraine actively oppose the construction of the gas pipeline. They fear that Russia after the commissioning of the new gas pipeline will refuse to transit gas through Ukraine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel assures that the transit will continue. Svoboda.org