- Nord Stream 2 on hold: Ukraine praises German government’s decision
- Technology sanctions would hit Russia hard
- Nuclear power plant: Finland sees cooperation with Russia at risk
- Expert report warns of loopholes in DMA
- Ireland nears decision on data protection issue
- Council: more requirements for high-risk AI systems
- Informal transport Council: no agreement on Fit for 55 dossiers
- Opinion: He wants more – Putin and his historic role
Against the backdrop of Russia’s threatened invasion of eastern Ukraine, the German government put the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline on hold yesterday. A new assessment of supply security must now be made, taking into account the recent developments, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. “This will certainly drag on, if I may make a prediction,” he added. Meanwhile, Ukraine praises the move. US President Joe Biden also announced sanctions. Eric Bonse and Manuel Berkel have the details.
As a next step, Germany could also impose technology sanctions against Russia. Russia has been trying for years to become more independent in terms of digitization. Falk Steiner analyzed how far they have come and how technology sanctions would work.
Putin has made it clear that he does not accept the self-dissolution of the Soviet Union, Elmar Brok, a long-time CDU foreign policy expert, writes in his guest article for Europe.Table. According to Putin, the principles of international law of sovereignty and territorial identity are not valid for the former Soviet republics, including the three Baltic states. The Russian president wants to translate the old empire’s claim to power into zones of influence outside Russia’s borders, including states within Central and Eastern Europe, as Brok writes. He warns: “Vladimir Putin can obviously no longer be deterred from war.”
The French Council Presidency wants to extend the conformity assessment requirements for high-risk AI systems. Read more about the criteria to be met in the News.
Lisa-Martina Klein
Feature
Nord Stream 2 on hold: Ukraine praises German government’s decision
Scholz said he asked the Economics Ministry to withdraw the existing report on the analysis of supply security at the Federal Network Agency. “This sounds technical, but it is the necessary step under administrative law so that no certification of the pipeline can happen now.” Without this certification, Nord Stream 2 could not go into operation. On Twitter, US President Joe Biden’s spokeswoman had suggested that the move happened because of US pressure.
The analysis of supply security had still been prepared by the previous government under ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel in October 2021, when it said: “In its analysis, the Federal Ministry of Economics concludes that the granting of certification would not jeopardize the security of gas supply of the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union.”
According to the German Energy Industry Act, the security of electricity supply is also a test criterion, for example, the sufficient supply of gas-fired power plants. According to its own information, the Ministry of Economics had allowed several European countries to be consulted: Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia.
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