JOINT STATEMENT BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS ON THE CALL TO STOP THE NORD STREAM 2 PIPELINE
9 August 2021 – Nord Stream 2 (NS2) is a dangerous and shortsighted decision which preferences the economic interests of a few minority stakeholders over long-term transatlantic security and stability. This unnecessary pipeline sows’ discord in Europe, consolidates Russia’s stranglehold on Europe’s energy supply, and undermines collective efforts to counter Russian aggression.
NS2 is economically unnecessary and environmentally destructive. Natural gas demand is projected to decline in Europe, building a new pipeline when excess capacity to import Russian gas already exists makes little sense. The building of the pipeline on sensitive seabed alongside the import of gas from Gazprom, which has a concerning and consistent track record of large methane leaks, showcases some environmental concerns around NS2.
NS2 does not facilitate a diverse energy mix in Europe. The U.S. and Europe should support projects that help to diversify Europe’s energy supply not a pipeline which magnifies Russia’s ability to use its European energy dominance as a political trump card.
The majority of Europe opposes NS2. The overwhelming majority of European nations, the European Commission, and a sizeable number of the German, Austrian, and Dutch public, alongside the U.S. oppose NS2.
NS2 divides Europe and encourages Russia to further spread its malign influence and aggression. NS2 is an attempt by Russia to use energy as an instrument of hybrid warfare against eastern European nations, while cementing an artificially imposed stratification of nations in Europe with natural gas as the wedge. The completion of the pipeline would give Russia a greater ability to blackmail Europe by stopping or reducing gas deliveries and undermine NATO efforts to bolster collective security in eastern European member states, dealing a blow to the ongoing efforts of Ukraine to secure its sovereignty from Russian aggression, invasion, and occupation.
Russia would likely use the presence of the four Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines to justify the militarization of the Baltic Sea under the pretext of protecting the energy infrastructure, similar to what it does in the Black Sea.
For these reasons, we oppose continued construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a project which is neither geopolitically prudent nor economically necessary. National governments and the EU should do all in their power to deny Russia a cudgel with which to wage hybrid war against recalcitrant nations and attain the acquiescence of others.
BUTKO Kateryna
Head of NGO, All Ukrainian Association „Automaidan”, Ukraine
CARAFANO Dr. James Jay
Vice President, Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, The Heritage Foundation, USA
https://www.heritage.org/
CZYŻEWSKI Daniel
Editor, Defence24.pl, Poland
https://www.defence24.pl/
GETMANCHUK Alyona
Director, The New Europe Centre, Ukraine
GONCHAR Myhailo
Chair, Centre for Global Studies Strategy XXI, Ukraine
HOPKO Hanna
Chair, National Advocacy Interest Network ANTS, Ukraine
JAKÓBIK Wojciech
Editor in Chief, BiznesAlert.pl, Poland
https://biznesalert.pl/
JANDA Jakub
Director, European Values Center for Security Policy, the Czech Republic https://europeanvalues.cz/en/about-us/
KAJMOWICZ Jakub
Editor in Chief, Defence24.pl, Poland
https://www.defence24.pl/
KIJEWSKI Tomasz
President of the Board, The Warsaw Institute, Poland
https://warsawinstitute.org/
KREKÓ Péter
Director, Political Capital, Hungary
https://politicalcapital.hu/index_gb.php
LIEMIENOV Oleksandr
Head of the Board, State Watch, Ukraine
MICHAŁOWSKI Bartłomiej
Member of the Management Board, The Sobieski Institute, Poland
https://sobieski.org.pl/en/home-site/
NESTERENKO Oksana
The Executive Director, Anti-Corruption Research and Educational Center, Ukraine
PAVLENKO Olena
Chair, DiXi Group, Ukraine
PISARSKI Zbigniew
President of the Board, Casimir Pulaski Foundation, Poland
https://pulaski.pl/en/
RAUBO dr Jacek
President, The Institute of Security and Strategy Foundation, Poland
https://fibis.pl/en/news/
ROSZKOWSKI Marcin
Chairman of Board, Jagiellonian Institute, Poland
SELIN Denys,
Board Chairman, Civil Control Platform, Ukraine
SHABUNIN Vitaliy
Head of Board, Anticorruption Action Center, Ukraine
VYSHNEVSKYI Andrii
Head of the Board, Transparency International Ukraine
VYSHLINSKY Hlib
Executive Director, Centre for Economic Strategy, Ukraine
www.ces.org.ua
WIECH Jakub
Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Defence24.pl, Poland
https://www.defence24.pl/
WOŁEK Karol
President of the Board, Casimir the Great Foundation, Poland
https://fkw.edu.pl/ (Fundacja im. Kazimierza Wielkiego)
WRÓBEL Marek
President of the Board, The Republican Foundation, Poland
https://republicanfoundation.pl/about-fundation/
ZHERNAKOV Mykhailo
Chair, Foundation DEJURE, Ukraine
