The 25 July was held at the meeting of the EU member states, under the chairmanship of Estonia, now chairman of the round, on the thorny problem of diversifying sources of energy supply, to reduce the monopoly of energy dependence from Russia.
The project of North Stream II, the additional gas pipeline wanted by Germany and Russia, which would cross the Baltic Sea to connect directly to the two countries, has been attentive and challenged by at least thirteen European countries for a threefold reason:
- it would be possible to move through some countries (Poland, Estonia, Denmark) who are interested in the passage of the pipeline,
Would have more European dependence on Russia,
-the gas pipeline would pass to the sea in an area outside the European jurisdiction, in a regime that is at least uncertain.
Germany strongly supports the project for a national energy interest, as opposed to the harsh line against Russia for the situation in Ukraine that is justified by saying that if the European energy market is to be integrated, the Russian problem can be mitigated in the future.
On the other hand, the other interested countries are of the opposite opinion, as they would see the German energy policy far from Community interests and contradictory in relation to the reduction of energy dependence on Russia.
It is a historical period in which national interests are prevailing much more in Europe, see also Libya with the contrasts between Italy and France, compared to the EU or shared ones, this is not a good sign for the strengthening of European Union after Brexit.
By Pasquale Preziosa