03:16German government spokesperson, Wolfgang Buechner, insisted that a return to work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was not on the agenda, despite calls from a key coalition ally to do just that, during a press conference in Berlin on Friday.
"We stopped the certification process for Nord Stream 2 for good reasons. And a resumption of the project is currently not up for debate," Buechner told the assembled journalists.
The comments came in response to German parliament vice-president, Wolfgang Kubicki, who told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) earlier in the day that the country must certify the pipeline to get through the winter.
The deputy chair of the Freedom and Democratic Party, part of Germany’s ruling coalition, had said that Nord Stream 2 must be open "as soon as possible to fill our gas storage facilities for the winter."
However, Economy and Climate Protection Ministry spokesperson, Stephan Gabriel Haufe, backed up Buchner’s analysis at the briefing.
"We have a functioning pipeline, namely Nord Stream 1 and this is sufficient to cover the gas requirement in Germany when filled. And this proposal [by Wolfgang Kubicki] ultimately affects a country that has proven to be a non-reliable energy supplier. "
Finance Ministry spokesperson, Nadine Kalwey, also said that her boss, Christian Lindner, an FDP politician like Kubicki, considers the Nord Stream 2 proposal 'wrong and absurd'.
Germany unilaterally cancelled work on Nord Stream 2 in February, following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Nord Stream 1 has been running at reduced capacity, which Berlin’s lawmakers called 'Russian blackmail' while Gazprom has blamed maintenance issues with two turbines.
The growing concern about gas security has led to Berlin bringing coal power stations back onto the grid and hitting customers with a surcharge to prop up energy firms, although it has cut VAT on gas after protests.
Also at the briefing, government representatives said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would not be sanctioned for comparing Israeli actions to ’50 holocausts’, while relations with Syria would not be normalised without 'concessions' on human rights.
Germany: Nord Stream 2 return 'not up for debate' says govt spokesperson, despite coalition ally’s call to get gas flowing
German government spokesperson, Wolfgang Buechner, insisted that a return to work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was not on the agenda, despite calls from a key coalition ally to do just that, during a press conference in Berlin on Friday.
"We stopped the certification process for Nord Stream 2 for good reasons. And a resumption of the project is currently not up for debate," Buechner told the assembled journalists.
The comments came in response to German parliament vice-president, Wolfgang Kubicki, who told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) earlier in the day that the country must certify the pipeline to get through the winter.
The deputy chair of the Freedom and Democratic Party, part of Germany’s ruling coalition, had said that Nord Stream 2 must be open "as soon as possible to fill our gas storage facilities for the winter."
However, Economy and Climate Protection Ministry spokesperson, Stephan Gabriel Haufe, backed up Buchner’s analysis at the briefing.
"We have a functioning pipeline, namely Nord Stream 1 and this is sufficient to cover the gas requirement in Germany when filled. And this proposal [by Wolfgang Kubicki] ultimately affects a country that has proven to be a non-reliable energy supplier. "
Finance Ministry spokesperson, Nadine Kalwey, also said that her boss, Christian Lindner, an FDP politician like Kubicki, considers the Nord Stream 2 proposal 'wrong and absurd'.
Germany unilaterally cancelled work on Nord Stream 2 in February, following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Nord Stream 1 has been running at reduced capacity, which Berlin’s lawmakers called 'Russian blackmail' while Gazprom has blamed maintenance issues with two turbines.
The growing concern about gas security has led to Berlin bringing coal power stations back onto the grid and hitting customers with a surcharge to prop up energy firms, although it has cut VAT on gas after protests.
Also at the briefing, government representatives said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would not be sanctioned for comparing Israeli actions to ’50 holocausts’, while relations with Syria would not be normalised without 'concessions' on human rights.
German government spokesperson, Wolfgang Buechner, insisted that a return to work on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was not on the agenda, despite calls from a key coalition ally to do just that, during a press conference in Berlin on Friday.
"We stopped the certification process for Nord Stream 2 for good reasons. And a resumption of the project is currently not up for debate," Buechner told the assembled journalists.
The comments came in response to German parliament vice-president, Wolfgang Kubicki, who told RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) earlier in the day that the country must certify the pipeline to get through the winter.
The deputy chair of the Freedom and Democratic Party, part of Germany’s ruling coalition, had said that Nord Stream 2 must be open "as soon as possible to fill our gas storage facilities for the winter."
However, Economy and Climate Protection Ministry spokesperson, Stephan Gabriel Haufe, backed up Buchner’s analysis at the briefing.
"We have a functioning pipeline, namely Nord Stream 1 and this is sufficient to cover the gas requirement in Germany when filled. And this proposal [by Wolfgang Kubicki] ultimately affects a country that has proven to be a non-reliable energy supplier. "
Finance Ministry spokesperson, Nadine Kalwey, also said that her boss, Christian Lindner, an FDP politician like Kubicki, considers the Nord Stream 2 proposal 'wrong and absurd'.
Germany unilaterally cancelled work on Nord Stream 2 in February, following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Nord Stream 1 has been running at reduced capacity, which Berlin’s lawmakers called 'Russian blackmail' while Gazprom has blamed maintenance issues with two turbines.
The growing concern about gas security has led to Berlin bringing coal power stations back onto the grid and hitting customers with a surcharge to prop up energy firms, although it has cut VAT on gas after protests.
Also at the briefing, government representatives said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas would not be sanctioned for comparing Israeli actions to ’50 holocausts’, while relations with Syria would not be normalised without 'concessions' on human rights.