No Reasons for Disruption of Nord Stream Supplies Due to Amendments - Berlin

BERLIN (Sputnik) - The German Economic Affairs Ministry sees no reason for disruption of gas supplies via the Nord Stream gas pipeline if the current draft amendments to the EU Gas Directive are adopted, the ministry told Sputnik.

"At present, the legislative procedure in the EU has not been completed yet. It is expected to be completed during this legislative period in Europe. The current draft directive envisions a deadline for transfer to national law — nine months. The federal government does not see any reason for disruption of supplies through Nord Stream-1," the German Economic Affairs Ministry said when asked about the impact of amendments to the Gas Directive on supplies through the Nord Stream.

READ MORE: Amendments to EU Gas Directive May Leave Nord Stream 2 Half Empty — Reports

The remark comes after in January, representatives of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament reached an agreement on amendments to the EU gas directive that would allow extending internal EU market regulations to pipelines to and from non-EU countries.

Prior to that, in 2017, the European Commission proposed extending EU energy rules to gas pipelines from third countries to Europe. In particular, the Commission seeks the right to demand a separation of gas sales and pipeline operating activities, as well as third-party access to a pipeline.

Nord Stream is a gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany with a capacity to pump 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year.