FT reports “German chancellor Friedrich Merz is “actively” backing a proposed EU ban on the Nord Stream pipelines connecting Russia to Germany in a bid to stop any US and Russian efforts to reactivate the gas links.”
Merz is openly confronting Donald Trump. The Nordstream 2 pipelines are a German matter as they land on the German cost. But the US has developed an interest in the pipelines as US control over Nordstream would give the US some economic and geopolitical control over Germany and few other countries in Europe.
Recently, a Swiss Court granted the Swiss management company of Nordstream 2 the possibility to avoid bankruptcy, the creditors having agreed on a solution. These are important creditors, and German creditors have invested greatly into this project. These German companies agreed to a solution, but Merz is now going to block it.
Merz is turning to the EU, demanding from the EU to impose sanctions against Nordstream 2. Such EU sanctions would destroy any near future possibility to rebuild the project. Merz will have “europeanized” the ban on Nordstream 2 – a direct affront against the US and, of course, a further escalatory act against Russia.
The US and Russia most recently have discussed the re-animation of Nordstream 2, a US investor putting forward an investment, while Russia is still keen on selling gas.
This would have been a good outcome for the German industry with potentially cheap gas in sufficient quantities. Of course, Germany’s European partners would never agree that Germany gets cheap gas but would not impose sanctions on Germany.
Somehow, Merz turned away from the US and found shelter in and with the EU’s sanctions – as remedy against a new US-Russian energy project. But can Merz turn away from the German people and the German economy?
Indeed, such newly operational pipeline would represent an economic and political leverage on Germany and Merz probably was politically opposed to US or even Trump’s dominance.
With this Merz makes Germany sliding deeper into a really problematic situation: one the one side, Merz is creating more hostility towards Russia, but at the same time Merz is opposing to US politics and interests. Will Merz’ choice to get shelter from the EU save him?
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