Germany's intrests between energy and security policy. Geopolitics around Nord Stream 2

So, what is the Nord Stream 2 project really like, and why are some countries so negative about it?2.1 «Nord Stream- 2»The European Commission believes that Russia has violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine and must pay a high price for this. In their opinion, the imposed sanctions should force Russia to reconsider its policy. However, even under the influence of sanctions, Nord Stream 2 brings clear economic benefits to Russia.On the other hand, the Nord Stream 2 project significantly reduces the income from gas transit for Ukraine. Today, Ukraine receives up to $ 3 billion a year for the transit of gas through its territory to the territory of the European UnionSince the EU, the US and the International Monetary Fund are currently the main financiers of the Ukrainian government, they will also indirectly suffer losses from Ukraine's losses. Nord Stream 2 will also impede EU and international efforts (economic and financial) to support the modernization of Ukraine's gas infrastructure and recover allocated investments. Thus, summarizing, it can be noted that that opponents of the construction of the SP-2, as arguments for banning this project, put forward mainly their geopolitical conditions based on the Russophobic policy pursued by Western countries led by the United States, without considering the economic benefits of the gas pipeline for the EU. The European Union is interested in using the Ukrainian GTS, but on condition that the gas pipeline and underground storage facilities work stably. The underground storage facilities themselves are the key to Ukraine's success in this matter, since it is the underground storage facilities that neither Nord Stream nor the Belarusian GTS have that the gas pipeline and underground storage facilities will operate stably.Separately, it is also worth determining what prospects the Nord Stream 2 project opens up and how it should be implemented to achieve maximum efficiency in both the economic and political spheres of activity.2.2 Nord Stream-2 Prospects and implementationThe Nord Stream 2 project is a kind of continuation of the already proven Nord Stream 1 project.It is important to note that from a technical point of view, the pipeline is a single system that cannot simultaneously operate in accordance with the two legal regimes, and the pipeline operator will also not be able to fulfill its responsibilities without resolving these conflicts. As part of the permitting process under German law, the operator Nord Stream - 2 released extensive project documentation to the public in the spring of 2017.The project was funded as follows: Nord Stream 2 AG finances half of the total project cost and the other half of the rest of the participating companies. Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Board of Gazprom, said that at the end of 2017, all the European parties involved in the project had fully fulfilled their financial obligations.The calculations carried out showed the possibility of delivering 55 billion cubic meters of gas to the European Union. This project is designed for more than 50 years, which will supply gas to more than 26 million households. And after the construction of Nord Stream 2, the throughput will increase to 110 billion cubic meters of gas. Important stages of the project are:1) October 28, 2016, when the European Commission has lifted the ban on the access of "Gazprom" to the OPAL gas pipeline;2) July 21, 2017, when the European Court of General Jurisdiction rejected the claim of the Polish Government; 3) October 2017, when the Court of Appeal of Düsseldorf finally lifted all restrictions on the expansion of access "Gazprom" to the OPAL pipeline. Thus, it is allowed to increase the supply of NP-2 in EU gas. [Murgash, R. 2018, 31].ConclusionToday, the SP-2 project is at the forefront of the political agenda, not only in the EU, but also in international politics. The fact remains that JV-2 is causing disagreements between the EU member states; between participating energy companies and EU member states; in relations between the EU and its international partners; in an academic / expert environment. The group of supporters of the project in the EU is led by Germany, and the group of opponents is led by Poland. At the moment, work on the SP-2 continues, and from the official statements it can be concluded that the project will be successfully completed. Despite the initial uncertainties about the preservation of this route after 2019 in connection with the construction of the SP-2 and TP-2, the efforts of the European Commission within the framework of a trilateral dialogue, together with statements by the management of PJSC Gazprom, President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin and Minister of Energy A.V. Novak is expected to continue transit.Today, most experts are in favor of maintaining the Ukrainian gas corridor. The European Commission is also in favor of maintaining this route in connection with the possible negative economic consequences for Ukraine, the countries of Eastern Europe and bilateral relations between the EU and Russia in the opposite case. The only question remains only the volumes of exported natural gas, and each state has different ideas about them.From the point of view of Russia's energy interests in the EU, the current situation is by no means calm: there is geopolitical turbulence around Ukraine. And the concrete result of this «negative» was the introduction of sanctions against our country, affecting, among other things, the implementation of the SP-2 project. Now it is impossible to accurately answer the question of how soon this situation will be resolved, probably, this will happen at the moment when a balance of geopolitical interests is found between Russia and the United States, as well as between Russia and the EU.The main question at the moment is the question of whether Europe's demand for Russian gas can decrease in the current geopolitical conditions. When assessing potential threats, it is also worth considering other players in the market, however, demand will not change significantly, since the alternative is the unstable Persian Gulf plus now Libya or the mythical and expensive American LNG.To summarize all of the above, the European Union will surely increase gas supplies from Russia with the help of the new Nord Stream 2. The geopolitical situation will not affect this in the long term, as it is mainly causing losses. The implementation of the SP-2 project can make a significant contribution to ensuring energy security in Europe, as well as reducing military tensions between NATO and Russia in the Baltic region.