OREANDA-NEWS. The majority of German respondents (60%) are in favour of preserving the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, according to a survey by public opinion research company Infratest Dimap, the German TV channel ARD reports.

Supporters of the Alternative for Germany (AdG) most often approve of the project, while only supporters of the Greens more often reported a negative attitude towards the pipeline. Nord Stream 2 is supported by 70 percent of residents in eastern Germany, but it is also supported in the western part of the country - 57 percent of those surveyed supported it against 30 percent who were negative, analysts said.

The Green Party has repeatedly demanded an end to the construction of Nord Stream 2. Green Party co-chairman and German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock has spoken out against putting the pipeline into operation because, she said, it does not meet European norms. She later said she had agreed with Chancellor Olaf Scholz on a united position on the pipeline. "The issue of energy security will also play a role in the further evaluation process,"- the minister clarified.

Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder called the Greens' attitude towards the pipeline naive at the beginning of January. In his view, scepticism about Nord Stream 2 threatens Germany's energy security, and with fuel prices soaring, the country needs reliable suppliers.

The pipeline was completed in September last year and must now be approved by German and European regulators. In mid-December, the German Federal Network Agency warned that a decision would not be made in the first half of 2022.