EC: Nord Stream 2 is a "political project"

European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčofič said that a "new beginning" is needed in discussions regarding the Nord Stream 2 project and stated his opinion that the planned pipeline is, at its heart, a "political project". In an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Šefčofič said that the planned gas pipeline does not serve the EU's energy goals, as it would entail channeling 80 percent of Europe's natural gas needs through one path. This would have the opposite effect of diversifying the EU's energy sources. For this reason, Šefčofič stated that he finds it "hard to see [this] as a purely commercial project." The vice-president instead suggested it would be better for the EU to analyze "how to better use existing pipelines and consider using other delivery sources, such as liquefied natural gas." The Nord Stream 2 is a proposed natural gas pipeline that would pass underneath the Baltic Sea, bypassing Eastern European countries to give Germany and the West direct access to Russian gas. It could supply up to 55 billion cubic meters per year.