Navalny poisoning triggers German calls for action on Nord Stream 2 gas link

London — The poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny has led to new calls for Germany to end its support of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and for the EU to take coordinated action against the controversial project.

The German government on Sept. 2 said Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent and called on Russia to answer "serious questions" about the incident.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has up to now supported the 55 Bcm/year Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is almost complete with just 160 km of the line left to lay in Danish waters.

As recently as July, Merkel said it was "right" to complete Nord Stream 2 despite the threat of US sanctions against the project.

But the poisoning of Navalny has prompted a new wave of criticism from German politicians.

Norbert Rottgen, chairman of the German parliament's foreign affairs committee and a candidate for the head of the CDU, said the EU should consider a strong, coordinated response against Russia.

"Stopping Nord Stream 2 would be such a measure," Rottgen said on his official Twitter account.

The leader of the German green party, Katrin Goring-Eckardt, also condemned the poisoning, saying it needed to have "real consequences."

One such action would be to make clear that "Nord Stream 2 is not something that we can drive forward together with Russia."

Project criticism

Nord Stream 2 would double the capacity of the gas corridor via the Baltic Sea to Germany to 110 Bcm/year and would reduce the need for Russia to use Ukraine as a transit country for gas supply to Europe.

Critics of the project say it would concentrate too much gas supply into Europe on one route and one source.

However, backers of the projects -- which include five European energy companies (Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper and Wintershall Dea) -- say Nord Stream 2 is needed to bring additional gas supply security to Europe.

It remains unclear when and how the Nord Stream 2 operating company will lay the final kilometers of the pipeline in Danish waters.

The US in December last year implemented legislation that threatens sanctions against any entity laying Nord Stream 2 pipe, which prompted Switzerland's Allseas to immediately halt its pipelaying work.

Expanded sanctions against the project are also now under consideration that would target more companies involved in laying the line's final segment, including service providers and insurers.

Uniper said in August that with the US intensifying its efforts on targeted sanctions against Nord Stream 2, "the probability of a delay or even non-completion of the pipeline is increasing."

The EU's position with regard to Nord Stream 2, meanwhile, is complex, with Brussels objecting to US extra-territorial sanctions against the project on one hand but also forcing the pipeline to adhere to amended EU gas directive rules on the other.

Germany, Austria and France have also condemned the US measures, saying Europe should dictate its own energy policy.

An EU delegation reportedly communicated its position to the US State Department on Aug. 12, supported by 24 of the bloc's 27 members, that the sanctions are in breach of international law.