ECR MEPs have welcomed proposals from the European Commission that ensure all gas pipelines coming from third countries will be subject to the EU’s internal energy market rules. From now on all major pipelines entering the EU will have to be operated with the same levels of transparency and efficiency and be accessible to other operators as those situated within the EU.

ECR MEPs have welcomed proposals from the European Commission that ensure all gas pipelines coming from third countries will be subject to the EU’s internal energy market rules. From now on all major pipelines entering the EU will have to be operated with the same levels of transparency and efficiency and be accessible to other operators as those situated within the EU.

The new rules are seen as a direct attempt to prevent Russia from using their planned Nord Stream 2 pipeline to exert undue influence over EU Member States.

Speaking after the announcement was made, ECR energy coordinator Zdzislaw Krasnodebski said:

“Nord Stream 2 is a nothing more than a political weapon of the Kremlin. Nord Stream 2 will undermine energy security within the EU and its neighbours and does nothing to help us diversify energy supplies. For the energy market to work there can be no loop holes – Nord Stream 2, and Russia, must play by our rules.

“Today’s proposals are welcome and we look forward to them now coming to the European Parliament. We must avoid further fragmentation in our energy market and anything that will lead to further division between Eastern and Western Europe.”

ECR MEP and vice chair of the parliament’s energy committee, Hans Olaf Henkel continued:

“Nord Stream 2 will further increase the EU‘s dependency on Putin‘s regime. Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was hired by Putin as Chair of the North Stream consortium only a week after the German Government gave final approval to the project – this is a scandal.

“Allowing Nord Stream 2 to move ahead, against the wishes of so many EU Member States, completely undermines the notion of ‘European solidarity’ that we hear so regularly in Brussels. We are pleased to see the Commission finally taking action.”