EU Commission Candidate Weber Vows To Do Utmost To Block Nord Stream 2

Manfred Weber, the European People's Party (EPP) lead candidate to head the European Commission, has pledged to "use all the rules" to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project if he takes the office as a result of the May European elections

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2019) Manfred Weber, the European People's Party (EPP) lead candidate to head the European Commission, has pledged to "use all the rules" to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project if he takes the office as a result of the May European elections.

"We need more independence from Russian gas. As the head of the European Commission, I will use all the rules to block Nord Stream 2," he said in an interview with the Polska Times newspaper.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian gas giant Gazprom and five European companies. It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters (1.9 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas annually to the European Union via the Baltic Sea.

The pipeline project has been welcomed by some countries in Europe and opposed by the others, who raise concerns over alleged danger of Europe's dependence on Russia and the subsequent diminished transit role of Ukraine. Washington, an LNG exporter, has been also strongly opposing the project.

Russia has repeatedly said that Nord Stream 2 is a purely commercial project. The country has also clarified that the project does not imply that Russian gas will no longer be transited through Ukraine, noting that it could consider the option of continuing the transit if it remains economically viable.