On Wednesday, European Commissioner for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said that the Nord Stream-2 pipeline should comply with EU legislation, including on energy and environment.
"There were no questions relating to the ecological impact on the environment, there were no question by anti-monopoly services, and there were no questions of any discrepancy to the energy legislation of the European Union," Novak told Russia-24 television.
He added that the decision on construction of the pipeline was more likely to be "made in the nearest future."
According to Novak, after the construction of the first string of the Nord Stream, Russia has essential experience in construction of the infrastructure in Europe.
The Nord Stream-2 project plans to use the original Nord Stream pipeline for 86-percent of the route before branching off. It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas a year to Europe across the Baltic Sea. In September, Russian energy giant Gazprom and its European partner companies — E.On, Shell, OMV, BASF and Engie — signed a shareholders agreement on the project.
The project has been met with opposition from some EU member states, including Poland and the Baltic countries, over fears it would increase European energy dependence on Russia. At the same time, Berlin reaffirmed its interest in the project, saying that it would bring more benefits for EU members and provide energy safety and security to the 28-nation bloc.
