"We think that if everything concerning the environment is okay in the project, it should receive a green light," Marie Krarup, member of the second largest parliamentary group in Denmark, the People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti), holding 37 seats in the 179-seat body, told Sputnik.
READ MORE: Denmark Passes Law That Could Ban Nord Stream 2 From Going Through Its Waters
The lawmaker confirmed that the new law would make it possible for the Danish parliament to ban the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in principle, adding that it was unclear how the law would be used.
"The Folketing [parliament] / Government now has an extra tool in foreign policy and can decide [with] more sovereignty over our own territory," the lawmaker said.
The comment was made after the law passed by the Danish parliament on Thursday, which broadens the criteria for rejecting pipeline projects, allowing the government to ban pipeline projects, such as Nord Stream 2, from the country's territorial waters based on security or foreign policy considerations, while before the decision was made based on environmental concerns.
Opposition to Nord Stream 2 Project
The Danish government suggested amending the country's legislation in April as the Danish Energy Agency began studying the Nord Stream 2 application.
In early October, Sergey Serdyukov, the chief technical officer for Nord Stream 2 AG, said that the company had elaborated an alternative route for the pipeline in case of Denmark banning its construction in Danish territorial waters.
The pipeline has faced opposition from some EU politicians, including President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who said the project was not in the bloc's interests. The Swedish Defense Ministry said in January it maintained its assessment of the project as potentially undermining the country's interests.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has recently responded to the wave of criticism, saying that the realization of the Nord Stream 2 project does not unilaterally increase EU dependency on Russia, but creates interdependence, stressing that "this is what business is about."
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russia’s Gazprom with France's Engie, Austria’s OMV AG, Royal Dutch Shell and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall. The project envisages the construction of two gas pipelines from the Russian coast, through the Baltic Sea and on to a hub in Germany. The pipelines are expected have a combined annual gas capacity of 55 billion cubic meters.
