European Parliament To Call For Nord Stream 2 Stoppage Over Navalny's Arrest - Reports

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2021) The European Parliament is planning to demand that the European Union prevent the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project following the recent arrest of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, the German news portal Der Spiegel reports on Wednesday, citing a draft resolution.

According to the portal, EU lawmakers will consider the resolution on Thursday. The European Parliament is also set to call on the bloc's leadership to apply tougher sanctions against Russia following the arrest of Navalny, who arrived in Moscow on Sunday from Germany, where he had been receiving medical treatment since August.

"After the Russian attack on Navalny, we also have to talk about the energy issue," Manfred Weber, the leader of the European People's Party in the European Parliament, told the portal.

Targeting the gas pipeline project, which has already faced US sanctions, may be another way of "exerting additional pressure" on Russia, Weber was quoted by the portal as saying.

EU lawmakers are also planning to propose additional sanctions against individuals and organizations involved in the decision to arrest Navalny, the magazine said, citing the resolution.

The opposition blogger was arrested upon his arrival at Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport and has been placed in custody for 30 days for violating probation terms on an earlier embezzlement conviction.

Nord Stream 2, which is currently under construction, is a planned 745-mile-long twin pipeline that will carry nearly 2 trillion cubic feet of gas annually from Russia to Germany. The pipeline is a joint project between Russia's Gazprom and several European energy giants, including Germany's Uniper and Wintershall.