As Minister Kurtyka points out, Gazprom — the sole owner of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline — has been repeatedly admonished or fined by European and national competition authorities for its actions, which were deemed detrimental to the development of competition in the common gas market.

Taking further steps to complete the construction of a new gas pipeline with the aim of strengthening the position of the Russian company on the European market can only be interpreted as another attempt to further close the markets of Central and Eastern Europe by an entity that has had a dominant position on these markets for many years, he noted.

In the minister’s opinion, Gazprom's actions are detrimental not only to competition in these markets, but also to the energy security of Member States in the region and the entire European Union.

Historically, Gazprom has repeatedly abused its market position and taken actions deemed detrimental to energy security, he pointed out.

Michał Kurtyka, the Polish Minister of Climate and Environment, also highlighted that in the context of the above facts, the decision of the government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to establish a foundation in cooperation with the NS2 AG company is a cause for concern.

The actions of this local government stand in opposition to the objectives of the European Union and the principle of loyal cooperation between Member States. What is more, these actions are aimed at circumventing the sanctions imposed by the United States, weakening the position of the European Union as a reliable partner on the international arena, he explained.

In the statute of the organisation established by the Mecklenburg-Western Pomeranian government, the role of representatives of Nord Stream 2 goes far beyond simple foundation and donor relations. This justifies the concern that the sole aim of the foundation is to complete the construction of Nord Stream 2, regardless of the consequences this may have for key aspects of the functioning of the European Union, such as competition in the common market, energy security or the EU's position in the international arena.

With this in mind, Poland calls on all member states, as well as the European institutions, for a strong joint response to Gazprom's attempts to undermine European unity, the Minister urged.

One of the examples of such a strong response is yesterday's resolution of the European Parliament, which unequivocally called for stopping the work on the construction of the Pipeline. We count on the other institutions and the Member States to amplify this message, he added.