NORD STREAM 2 JENS HØVSGAARD HAT EIN BUCH ÜBER DAS GASPIPELINE-PROJEKT IN DER OSTSEE GESCHRIEBEN UND UNSAUBERE METHODEN OFFENGELEGT BERLIN. Was der dänische Journalist Jens Høvsgaard in seinem jetzt erschienenen Buch „Gier, Gas und Geld“ (Europaverlag) akribisch recherchiert hat, liest sich wie ein Mafia-Krimi. In den Hauptrollen Ex-Kanzler Gerhard Schröder(SPD), Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin und die umstrittene Pipeline Nord Stream 2, um die sich alles dreht. Herr Høvsgaard, die Bundesregierung hat immer gesagt, dass Nord Stream 2 ein Wirtschaftsprojekt sei, kein politisches. Was stimmt? Jens Høvsgaard: Es war von Anfang an ein politisches Projekt. Wenn es rein wirtschaftliche Gründe hätte, würde es sofort gestoppt werden. Es gibt keinen Grund, so…
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Nord Stream 2: The Dead-End of Germany’s Ostpolitik
The fight about the pipeline was supposed to give Germany cause to rethink its foreign-policy. Instead, Berlin is supporting a project that will hurt its credibility. Now that Germany has agreed with France and other member states on new EU regulations for the controversial Nord Stream 2 project, the path for the pipeline to be built seems clear. Nevertheless, the German government is mistaken if it believes that it has satisfied its critics with this deal. Berlin has, from the beginning, underestimated the damage this project would do to its image. Its support for Nord Stream 2 demonstrates how the German government puts the national interest ahead of European and…
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NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE ROW HIGHLIGHTS GERMANY’S ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA
Almost a third of the new Nord Stream gas pipeline has been laid across the Baltic Sea. There is however, growing opposition to the pipeline and Brussels is having difficulty figuring out how to deal with the project. Initially, it was mainly Ukraine and Poland that objected to Russia’s plan for a second natural gas pipeline crossing the Baltic. The Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said recently that the project “will kill Ukraine.” Once NordStream 2 is laid, Russia will be able to supply a lot more natural gas to Germany directly, and from there to other Western countries. Poland believes that when Russian gas no longer has to be…
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Opinion: Europe must retain control of its energy security
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline will drastically increase Russia’s energy leverage over the EU. Such a scenario is dangerous for the bloc and the West as a whole, say the US ambassadors to Germany, Denmark and the EU. Right now, a dozen European countries rely on Russia for more than 75 percent of their natural gas needs. This makes United States allies and partners vulnerable to having their gas shut off at Moscow’s whim. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly proven his willingness to use Russia’s gas supply as a weapon, having blocked the flow of gas to neighbors in 2006, 2009, 2014, and most recently in March of last…