Germany outlined the consequences of suspending the certification of Nord Stream-2

On Tuesday, the Federal Network Agency of Germany (BNA) announced the suspension of the certification process of Nord Stream 2 AG as an independent operator of Nord Stream-2. The process will resume when Nord Stream 2 AG creates a German subsidiary that will re-apply. 

The Minister of Economy of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, said that the suspension of the certification of the gas pipeline operator would have negative consequences in the form of rising prices and production losses.

Albert Breininger, a member of the German right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said that the decision of the German regulator to suspend certification may also have political grounds. In his opinion, the BNA wants to buy time before the formation of a new government coalition in Germany. 

«It's not that simple, it's hard to say for sure which component prevails – politics or the German bureaucracy,» Breininger said. Currently, the parties of Germany are negotiating the formation of a new government. In case of successful negotiations, the new chancellor will be Social Democrat Olaf Scholz, who will replace Angela Merkel, who ruled for 16 years.

At the same time, the politician added that he does not see any signs that Nord Stream 2 will be completely abandoned, since Germany is still very interested in launching the project.