Nord Stream 2 construction was a strategic mistake – Vice Chancellor of Germany

From a geopolitical point of view, the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was a mistake, the Vice-Chancellor of Germany Robert Habeck said, DW reports.

According to him, the issue of whether the gas pipeline will be launched remains open and should be addressed from the “position of European and national law”.

“A policy to support competition is politics. It prevents the monopolies establishment and, at the same time, dependencies,” Habeck said.

He added that the German regulator, the Federal Agency for Networks (Bundesnetzagentur), would check the compliance of all documents on the gas pipeline and decide on the possibility of its launch.

Referring to the threat of a new military invasion, Khabek said that "any further aggression should not remain without harsh consequences." However, he did not directly mention Nord Stream 2 itself.

On December 16, the German energy regulator (BNetzA) announced that full certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will not happen in the first half of 2022.

In November, the Regulator suspended the certification process pending the creation of a subsidiary.