Saxon Prime Minister pushes for Nord Stream 2 revival talks
Michael Kretschmer, the Prime Minister of Saxony and a member of the CDU, is advocating for discussions with Russia about resuming the Nord Stream 2 project. This pipeline is intended to help lower energy costs in Germany. It connects Germany with the Russian Federation but was not activated due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In an online article for the weekly "Die Zeit," Kretschmer called for talks with Moscow about restarting the Nord Stream 2 initiative. He believes the pipeline could not only help reduce energy costs in Germany but also serve as "a possible opportunity for dialogue with Russia." Kretschmer highlighted two approaches: pressuring Moscow to concede or adopting a positive, cooperative stance.
Despite Kretschmer's appeal, Chancellor Friedrich Merz maintains the previous government's decision against launching Nord Stream 2. In early May, Merz stated that there is currently no agreement in place to operate the pipeline and that this situation is unlikely to change.
Will Angela Merkel be held accountable for Nord Stream 2?
Merz is not the only one skeptical about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Both the Greens and the German left are calling for an investigation in the Bundestag. They even want an investigative committee to examine whether former Chancellor Angela Merkel exposed Germany to one-sided energy dependence on Russia, according to "Der Spiegel" and "Sueddeutsche Zeitung."
The push for accountability follows a report from "Sueddeutsche Zeitung," revealing that Merkel's cabinet acknowledged warnings about Germany's heavy reliance on Russian gas but took no action. Documents indicate that Angela Merkel approved the sale of German gas storage facilities to Gazprom in September 2015, despite internal warnings.
Meanwhile, Brussels is working on sanctions to deter any potential interest in activating Nord Stream 1 and 2. "Why sanction something that doesn't work today anyway?" Paula Pinho, spokesperson for the European Commission, asked. "Because we never know what might happen in the future," she added, in mid-May.
Nord Stream 2 was initially planned to deliver gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. However, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the project was halted by a coalition of the SPD, Greens, and FDP. Russia stopped delivering gas via Nord Stream 1 in August 2022. A few weeks later, an explosion damaged both lines of NS1 and one of the two lines of NS2.
