OREANDA-NEWS. Nord Stream 2 is political in nature, but the European Commission rejects sanctions against European companies that participate in projects in accordance with EU law. This was stated by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in an interview published on Friday with the European media magazine.

“It’s correct that the gas pipeline project also has a political dimension and that the European Commission protects the interests of the eastern EU member states by means of available funds”, she argued. “On the other hand, the European Commission strongly rejects sanctions against European companies that participate in the projects in accordance with legal regulations".

The US Senate approved a defense budget bill for fiscal year 2020, which obliges the administration to impose sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines. On December 11, the House of Representatives voted for him. On December 20, the document was signed by US President Donald Trump and entered into force. Against this background, December 21, Allseas, Switzerland-based, which is laying pipes for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, announced the suspension of work.