Nord Stream 2 / Axel Schmidt
The EU-Russian relations seems to be worsening despite efforts of constructive European powers to avoid further escalation.
The European Parliament believes that it’s needed to curtail the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, according to the report on the state of EU-Russia political relations approved on March 13.
The alleged reason is that the Nord Stream 2 will boost the EU “dependency on Russian gas supplies”.
“Russia and the EU will remain key economic partners in the foreseeable future, but Nord Stream 2 reinforces EU dependency on Russian gas supplies, threatens the EU internal market and is not in line with EU energy policy, and therefore needs to be stopped,” the report says.
The report said that the dependency of the EU on Russian gas supplies “has increased since 2015.”
“The deepening of EU integration and coherence between its internal and external policies is the key to a more coherent, effective and successful EU external and security policy, including vis-a-vis Russia,” the report reads.
Furthermore, the document says that the European Parliament will no longer consider Russia a strategic partner.
“[The EU Parliament] believes <…> that the EU-Russia relationship requires a new framework of cooperation only in those areas that are necessary and in a common interest, and with a view to guaranteeing security in the EU’s neighbourhood and a European peace order; is of the view that the PCA [Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation] should be discontinued,” the document claims.
Besides this, the document calls to consider the following measrues:
- to impose more personal sanctions on Russian citizens;
- to limit Russia’s access to finances and technologies.
It’s interesting to note that just recently the US administration revealed plans to spend $500m aid to combat Russian “malign” influence around the world, in particular Europe. These funds will likely be delivered to US ‘key partners’ involved in combating ‘Russina influence’ In other words, these funds will be spent on further fueling activity of those European powers, which work to undermine the EU-Russian economic, technical and diplomatic cooperation.
Regarding the economic impact, the wrosening EU-Russian relations would mean less relatively cheap energy resources from Russia. Therefore, the US will be able to get an additional part of the EU energy market with own, more expensive, products. This will impact negatively some key EU economies like Germany, France and Italy. At the same time, small pro-US states [for example in the Baltics], which have almost no own industry, have little to lose and are fiercely defending iterests of the Euro-Atlantic establishment and oligarchs working against the EU-Russian economic cooperation.
Another factor is the recent US decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which also endangers Europe – launching sites of US missiles will become an obvious target in the event of US-Russian confrontation. Therefore, it becomes evidence that the EU is not intereseted in a further confrontation with Moscow. Despite this, some powers are steadily pushing it in this direction.
Germany has no intention of paying double for Gas when the Nord strem2 makes economic sense for Europe
F off home Yankee with your super expensive Gas, we don’t want it.
USA control all NATO countries.Putins western partners.Hally said Russia wont be USA partner.
One only has to look at who wrote and backed this report and draw your own conclusions its like a child getting advice from a mentally ill master that seem destined to be slaves pretty soon they will be fat stupid and up to their necks in debt,
Could you please give me some information on who wrote and backed the report please…I seem to have missed the details.
I too would like to know who authored this report but I too cannot find any information that tells this. So one is left to speculate who might have and why no one has any information on who did it.
Nought to do with the EU. Russia made sure they would be kept out of the loop, for a reason. Remember how the EU fared, from the last batch of sanctions, against Russia, back in 2014?
I remember particularly that hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost in the EU for the sanctions – in the EU, not the US.
The US carried on trading, happy for the EU to take the fall.
the US has never shown restraint in stepping on Europe to enforce their agendas.
What’s striking is the Eu leaderships willingness to be used as door mats.
papagali supusi s u a
The present European Parliament will soon disappear in few months with the next election day in May 2019. All the actions they are performing are short living.
And the new EP will be better? really?!
$500 million to bribe EU politicians is terribly extravagant, most could be bought for loose change.
Come on now Sinbad, they would demand at least an all inclusive weekend trip to Disneyland, Florida, expenses would of course be included.
Not to mention a bevy of hookers who would perform any lewd act thinkable and dreamable . . .no wait, they ARE all political hookers who would perform any lewd political act thinkable . .
They’re probably used to the going rates for US senators and congressmen.
The EU ought to seek out brick layers to build their EU Curtain.
someone must have heavily lobbied this unbinding resolution (coming from Lithuania), just before the entire parliament goes home on may (EU elections).
Search for “the European natural gas Network – entsorg”
All I get is a map. Just send the info (via link)you want us to read please and tell us htf does the above nonsense come into it ?.
I call bollocks on this article…
the parties that put forward this proposal should be required to cover the difference in price between the russian gas and the replacement gas purchased for the one shut out plus they should be required to guarantee that there will be sufficient gas from the other source so as not to cause any negative consequences in a short as well as a longer perspective. that is the first germany and austria should require.
EU nations r deepening trade w Russia—Germany, Austria, Czechia, Italy…only the irrelevant Baltics, Poland, UK, etc believe that US puppetry serves them well