The owner of Nord Stream 2 has filed a lawsuit against the EU
Nord Stream 2 AG, the owner of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, has filed a lawsuit with the General Court of the European Union, seeking to overturn the EU’s ban on Russian gas imports.
In the lawsuit, the company argues that the EU’s decision effectively prevents it from using the pipeline for its intended purpose.
“The plaintiff asserts that the regulation effectively prevents it from commercially operating the pipeline. This constitutes a de facto expropriation without any provision for compensation,” the case documents state.
This refers to a law passed by the EU earlier this year that calls for a complete phase-out of Russian gas imports by the end of 2027.
Nord Stream 2 AG insists that:
- the ban makes it impossible to use the pipeline
- the EU’s decision effectively blocks the resumption of operations for “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2”
- the pipeline is losing its commercial value
Separately, the company claims that the EU allegedly followed an incorrect legal procedure.
According to the plaintiff, the ban should have been adopted as sanctions by unanimous consent of all EU countries, whereas it was approved by a majority vote to circumvent the position of certain member states.
“The choice of an incorrect legal basis renders the regulation invalid,” the lawsuit states.
The “Nord Stream 1” and “Nord Stream 2” gas pipelines were built by Gazprom to supply up to 110 billion cubic meters of gas per year to Germany, but their operation has effectively been halted since 2022.
It was also previously reported that Slovakia had announced its intention to challenge the EU’s decision to ban Russian gas imports.
Thus, Russia and its affiliated entities continue their legal efforts to regain access to the European gas market, which has shrunk significantly since the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine.
This was reported by Reuters.
Earlier, the Kremlin stated that one of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines is ready for operation. According to the Russian side, the only obstacle is Europe’s decision. They claim that it is the EU ban that is preventing the resumption of gas supplies. This was stated by Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
A court case is underway in London regarding insurance payouts for the explosions on the “Nord Stream” pipelines, in which the parties are presenting different versions of the events of 2022. The pipeline operator, affiliated with Gazprom, insists that the attacks were carried out by saboteurs not linked to any state, while insurance companies believe a state actor may have been behind the incident.
