Germany approved the creation of a fund to support the Nord Stream 2 project

According to Zeit Online, during a special session, the regional parliament approved the creation of a state environmental fund, which will contribute to the completion of the construction of Nord Stream 2. Only representatives of the Alternative for Germany party abstained from voting, while the social-jacks, as well as representatives of the ruling CDU / CSU coalition and leftists voted in favor.

The Prime Minister of McLenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwezig, indicated that the fund will primarily focus on projects in the field of environmental, nature and climate protection, while it assumes the possibility of supporting the completion of the construction of the Russian gas pipeline through the purchase of the necessary equipment.

"Whether such an opportunity will be claimed and used depends on whether the United States continues to rely on sanctions against German and European companies. We have no plans regarding this fund for the operation of the pipeline", - the Prime Minister clarified.

At the beginning of December 2020, plans were announced to establish the "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Climate Fund". As Bild wrote, the fund will define the pipeline as "an essential element for protecting the environment." According to the newspaper, it was supposed to establish a commercial enterprise, the services and products of which would be used only to complete the construction of the pipeline. That is, German companies that may fall under US sanctions will be able to provide services to Russia through this fund and its enterprise. At the same time, technically, the company will not interact with Nord Stream 2, which means that the restrictive measures will not affect it.

Note that the United States has repeatedly opposed the construction of a Russian gas pipeline, allegedly fearing for Europe's energy dependence on the Russian Federation. Washington imposed the first sanctions a year ago against pipe-laying companies. Then the construction was under threat, since the main contractor - the Swiss company Allseas - refused to cooperate. Gazprom decided to complete the project on its own.

Germany, on the other hand, offered the United States a billion-dollar deal to build two harbors for the export of US liquefied gas. In return, Washington should have allowed the completion of the Russian gas pipeline.