Margarita Assenova: What next for Nord Stream 2?

The Nord Stream Two saga is far from over. Although the agreement between the United States and Germany would allow for the physical completion of this natural gas pipeline (directly linking Russia and Germany via the Baltic Sea), its certification and especially its future operation at full capacity are far from certain. In fact, even if certified, the pipeline may have to operate at half capacity as a result of the final decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) that limits Gazprom’s usage of the onshore Ostsee-Pipeline-Anbindungsleitung (OPAL), which connects to Nord Stream One, to 50%. The court essentially upheld the notion of energy solidarity among European Union members as a binding legal principle, which will change the way all EU institutions make decisions on strategic energy infrastructure going forward.

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