German Businesses Convincing Skeptics in EU of Need for Nord Stream 2

MUNICH (Sputnik) – Earlier in the day, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Moscow hopes that the project would be implemented despite attempts to politicize it by some western countries. The head of Russian energy giant Gazprom, Alexey Miller, said that his company was confident that the pipeline would be built by the end of 2019, as planned.

"We focus on such projects as Nord Stream 2, and, with the support of the federal government, we are trying to convince skeptics within the European Union on the issue," Buechele said.

The Nord Stream 2 project, which plans to use the original Nord Stream pipeline for 86-percent of the route before branching off, could provide up to 55 billion cubic meters of direct gas supplies from Russian shores through the Baltic Sea to the German coast.

While some EU member states, such as Poland and Lithuania, are opposed to the northern gas pipeline due to concerns over increased energy dependence on Russia, Germany reaffirmed its interest in the project in late 2015, saying that it would bring more benefits for EU members and provide energy safety and security to the 28-nation bloc.