Slovak MEPs join criticism of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Several Slovak MEPs in the European Parliament on Tuesday joined criticism of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project levelled at a meeting of some MEPs with European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Arias Canete on Monday. The MEPs called on the Commission to stop the project and to evaluate it from the geopolitical and economic standpoints, claiming that expanding the capacities of the existing Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea is at odds with Energy Union goals and also damages solidarity among individual EU-member countries. "This project potentially endangers Slovakia's energy security. Supporting this project would represent a step backwards in the EU's long-term efforts to boost cooperation with Ukraine. It's in our interests to maintain Ukraine's strategic role in transporting gas to the EU", said Slovak MEP Eduard Kukan (SDKU-DS/EPP). Branislav Škripek (OLaNO/ECR) pointed to the fact that if Nord Stream 2 were launched, volumes of gas transported further into Europe through Slovakia would be significantly reduced, thereby endangering the country's energy security, apart from causing financial losses. Ivan Štefanec (KDH/EPP) described NS2 as a purely political project that is dangerous not only for Slovakia, but also the entire EU. "This project goes against the fundamental principles of Energy Union based on the diversification of sources and suppliers. We can achieve better energy prices only via a broader range, not by strengthening the Russian state giant", added Štefanec.