
While Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel can imagine ending the near-finished Nord Stream 2 project, which should see Russian gas flowing into Germany, the eastern Länder are opposed.
The heads of provincial governments of the eastern Länder of Germany opposed Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel’s reasoning to use the Nord Stream 2 project to supply Russian gas as geopolitical tool. Indeed, they have agreed to a resolution in which they oppose the completion of the pipeline, German newspaper Bild reported on Friday. According to leaders of Eastern Länder, completing the project is “a sensitive and right thing to do.”
Majority of the German population agreed on the Nord Stream 2 finalization. According to a survey by ZDF television station, two-thirds of respondents expressed themselves that Germany should not back out of the project, and on the contrary only one-fifth would support such a move. Reflections on Germany’s withdrawal from the project emerged after it became clear that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had probably been poisoned by a Novicok-type substance, and for several weeks is hospitalized in Germany. If Angela Merkel’s cabinet takes steps that would lead to the abandonment of the pipeline construction, it would likely trigger a big part of Germany.