Nord Stream 2 Poses Risks Of EU Becoming Overdependent On Russia - EC President-Elect

Muhammad Irfan Published July 19, 2019 | 05:11 PM

European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen believes that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project is dangerous for the European Union since it could make the bloc overdependent on Russian energy

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen believes that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project is dangerous for the European Union since it could make the bloc overdependent on Russian energy.

"There is a danger of heavy dependence on Russian energy. To diversify [Europe's] energy supply, we need other types of energy," von der Leyen said in an interview with the Bild newspaper on Thursday, adding that Europe "needs competition" and must "take into account the interests of its eastern neighbors."

According to von der Leyen, Nord Stream 2 has an "economic and a political dimension."

Earlier in the week, EU lawmakers approved von der Leyen, the now outgoing German defense minister, as the new president of the European Commission. To be elected to the 747-seat European Parliament, von der Leyen needed at least 374 votes and received 383.

She will be the first woman to take on the key EU role when her term starts on November 1.

Nord Stream 2 is a 745-mile-long twin pipeline which will run from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea. This is a joint venture between Russian energy giant Gazprom and five European companies: France's ENGIE, Austria's OMV, British-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall.

The initiative from the start has long drawn opposition from a number of countries, especially Ukraine, which claims that Moscow is planning to deprive Kiev of its gas transition revenues. The United States, which is trying to sell more of its own liquefied natural gas to its overseas allies, insists that the project will make Europe dependent on Moscow. Russia has repeatedly rebuffed the claims, saying that the project is purely economic in nature and seeks to benefit EU energy security.