In the dispute over the Nord Stream gas pipeline 2 has been approved by the EU member States a German-French compromise. The consultation is intended to allow EU diplomats to adopt more stringent requirements without compromising the project as a Whole. The compromise proposal would have almost agreed by all EU member States.

According to the French representation of the compromise provides for a two-stage procedure: The first responsibility for Pipelines with third countries such as Russia spent in the EU country where the line for the first time on the European network hits, BelTA learned from the environment of the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. In the case of Nord Stream 2 project that would be Germany. However, the EU-Commission have to be able to control. Germany accept the revised version of the EU Gas Directive, for the first time a “European control” over the Pipeline to bring Russian Gas to Germany.

“made The dependence on Russian Gas Worries us,” said a member of staff of the President of Macron. “Therefore, European control was important for us to ensure that this dependence is too large.” At the same time, the Macron-employees, the German media denied reports of a rift with France: “There is no Franco-German crisis.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) appreciated the agreement reached in the dispute over the Gas Directive of the European Union as a common success of Germany and France. “This day, I think it’s good, and he would not have taken place without the German-French cooperation,” she said.

The German government threatened in a dispute over the Nord Stream 2 to the last defeat. You actually wanted to prevent, that the Directive is widely revised-reaching, had to engage, but after a political change of course in France on negotiations. Many EU countries wanted to amend the legislation so that the construction of the pipeline from Russia to Germany could be halted on additional requirements.

dispute about Nord stream 2 © TIME ONLINE Energy dependency of Europe

The French Ministry of foreign Affairs had initially announced on Thursday, the government in Paris wool unlike Germany votes for a tightening of the rules for Pipelines from third countries. This could have consequences for Nord Stream 2. In the extreme case, it would have made the project uneconomical.

The proponents of policy change argue that the line is reinforcing the energy dependency of Europe from Russia unnecessarily, and to the interests of the Eastern European EU member States and partner countries such as Ukraine claims. The latter is explained by the fact that Russian Gas is previously passed through Eastern Europe towards the West. Countries such as Ukraine and Poland make a profit on so-called transmission fees a lot of money. Germany would but the main distributor of Russian gas in Western Europe.