MEPs want Nord Stream 2 stopped & sanctions on Russian oligarchs

The European Parliament yesterday adopted a resolution which calls for the EU to stop the completion of Gazprom's Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.

The resolution - which was adopted with 581 votes in favour, 50 against and 44 abstentions - comes ahead of next Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the Russian authorities' detention of opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Read more: Nord Stream 2 completes work in German waters as US ramps up sanctions again

The cross-party motion called on the EU and its member states to review its cooperation with Russia on "projects such as Nord Stream 2, the completion of which the EU must stop immediately".

Under the EU unanimity rule, EU sanctions are decided by EU member states. However, parliament has previously influenced energy policy reforms which will make the pipeline subject to the bloc's market rules when passing through its territory. 

The resolution also called on member states to introduce sanctions against "Russian oligarchs related to the regime and members of President Putin's inner circle". The bloc should "no longer be a welcoming place for Russian wealth of unclear origin," parliament said.

"We cannot prevent the companies from building it if the German government agrees. Should these companies finalise a pipeline, they should know that they will need to operate in line with EU law. But this is the most we can do at EU level," EU foreign affairs high representative Josep Borrell told MEPs.

The resolution received support from several prominent German members who are aligned with the governing coalition that has generally favoured restrictive measures against Russian officials rather than outright sanctions.

Borrell said that decisions regarding any further individual sanctions in the wake of the arrest of Navalny should be made by EU foreign ministers.

Read more: MEPs warn of environmental impact of Chinese industry in Serbia

In October 2020, the EU imposed asset freezes and visa bans for the assassination attempt on Navalny and six security officers, including the director of Russia's federal security service.

"Anyone who still believes that we should continue with Nord Stream 2 is blind for what kind of regime we are dealing with in Moscow," said Dutch Social and Democrats party member Kati Piri.

Nord Stream 2 is opposed by US President Joe Biden - one of the few policy areas his administration and its predecessor are aligned. 

Former President Donald Trump imposed a raft on sanctions on the project since late 2019, the most recent being on January 19 against the Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna and its owner KVT-RUS.

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