The decision to suspend the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline operator is not politicized, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"Absolutely, no. In this case there are indeed certain protocols, Europe’s legal regulations on that issue. And the operating company is ready to meet all requirements of the current legislation so that this project, important for all, will be launched as soon as possible," he said when asked a respective question.
"The certification of Nord Stream 2 is a fairly complicated process, it was clear from the very beginning. The operating company fulfills all requirements of the regulator. Yesterday we saw Nord Stream 2 company to be quite quick to respond. A new company will be founded to meet the requirements," Peskov added.
The energy crisis in Europe and the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project do not depend on each other, according to the Kremlin spokesman. "As for the energy crisis, those are two processes, though in one area, which do not depend on each other," he said when asked a respective question.
"It was clear from the very beginning that it is necessary to practice patience," Peskov stressed. "We are confident here that the project itself is important for Europe. It is important both for us and for European consumers," he said.
Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) announced the temporary suspension of the procedure to certify Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent transmission operator on Tuesday, saying that the certification of the operator would only be possible if that operator was organized in a legal form under German law. The certification procedure will remain suspended until the main assets and human resources have been transferred to the German subsidiary.
The regulator will be able to resume its examination in the remainder of the four-month period set out in law. Previously January 8, 2022 was mentioned as the deadline, after which the German regulator should submit its draft report for approval to the European Commission.
The construction of Nord Stream 2 was fully completed on September 10, 2021. Before pumping can commence, the operator of the project should be registered as an independent transport operator - the Federal grid agency is to issue certification by January 8, 2022. The agency cannot prohibit commercial gas pumping, but if it starts before the registration is finalized the operator will be fined. This registration is obligatory for meeting the norms of the EU Gas Directive.
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