The faction of the Liberal Free Democratic Party (LFDP) of the Bundestag has sent a letter to the American senators Ted Cruz and Jeanne Sheikhin in which they protested against the forthcoming sanctions against the European gas pipeline “Nord Stream – 2”, said an official representative of the faction on energy issues Martin Neumann.
“Because the position of our colleagues in the FSUE parliamentary faction is clear: we do not allow America to interfere in European affairs”, – he said.
Earlier, the head of the Austrian oil and gas corporation OMV, Rainer Seele, said in Vienna about the need for a “political response” to Washington’s threats to impose sanctions on companies involved in the construction of the pipeline.
In the words of MP Neumann, “it is not in our interests to introduce sanctions against the United States”, these interests are in “closer and more constructive cooperation between the United States and the EU, including in the international and economic spheres, as well as in the development of new joint projects”.
With regard to “Nord Stream – 2”, the parliamentarian said that this is “a European project, in which companies from at least 12 EU countries are currently involved. Current US actions “have a significant impact on the investment, planning and legal security of Germany and the EU”, Neumann says.
He added that it is a “clear interference in the sovereign affairs of the European Union, especially since the construction of the Nord Stream-2 pipeline has been approved in accordance with all EU rules.
“Nord Stream 2” involves the construction of two pipelines from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. The project is actively opposed by the US, which promotes its liquefied natural gas to the EU, as well as Ukraine and a number of European countries.