Passions around the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline
How millions of euros left Latvia
As it is known, in April, the Freeport of Latvia Ventspils and its terminals Noord Natie Ventspils Terminals and Eurohome Latvija received an offer to participate in the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline. The Mayor of Ventspils and the Chairman of the Board of the Port of Ventspils, Aivars Lembergs, told reporters that the proposal would include receiving pipes for the gas pipeline construction in Ventspils, storing them at the port sites and delivering at sea to the gas pipeline laying site.
Aivars Lembergs noted that currently the port of Ventspils does not have such a volume of cargo platforms, therefore investors of the Nord Stream-2 project will invest 14 million euros in order to equip storage and processing pipelines for seven hectares for the gas pipeline. These sites were then supposed to be transferred free of charge to the port of Ventspils. The calculations showed that the income of the Latvian economy from participation in the project could amount to 25 − 30 million euros.
Immediately after the message of the Mayor of Ventspils, the Minister of Economy of Latvia Arvil Asheradens made a statement. He categorically rejected his country's participation in the construction of a new gas pipeline and stressed that “the government has already decided not to participate in this project in any way. State representatives on the board of directors of Ventspils Freeport vote against joining the project. ”
This position of the Latvian government was explained in turn by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevics. As often happens now in Riga, this position is quite surreal. Rinkevics claims that the Russian special services will "use the construction of the gas pipeline as a cover for operations on Latvian territory." Meanwhile, the Latvians in the project were replaced by the Swedes and the Finns, and the cargo turnover of the Latvian ports fell by several times.
Reuters writes that in March 2017 from Russia sent 1,2 million tons of coal, oil products and metals to the ports of Riga and Ventspils, in April - 750 000 tons, and from 1 to 15 May - only 45 700 tons. The agency calls the sharp drop in freight traffic “the punishment of Latvia for refusing to participate in the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.
Deutsche Welle adheres to the same position, but cites somewhat different figures: the reduction in the transportation of Russian goods from 1,3 million tons in March to 625 000 tons in May 23. The Germans also do not bother themselves with the evidence of the connection of the reduction in cargo turnover of the Latvian ports with the refusal of Riga to participate in the project to build a new gas pipeline. Because it is obvious to everyone: the decision of Latvia is not economic, but purely political. Waiting for him and the appropriate response.
Latvians also understand this. According to the Mayor of Ventspils, by refusing to participate in the construction of the gas pipeline, Latvia sacrificed its interests in favor of countries that are not interested in a direct gas connection between Russia and Germany: “I hope Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, Czechs and Slovaks will pay Latvia. The total damage to the national economy of the country will be approximately 100 million euros, the direct losses in the self-government budget - about 150 thousand euros. ”
Deutsche Welle and the head of the association “Baltic Association - Transport and Logistics” Inga Antane expressed a similar position. She called the decision of the Latvian authorities to refuse to participate in the Nord Stream-2 project short-sighted. According to Antana, the government’s arguments about the threat to state security do not hold water. “It is not clear in whose interests government officials make decisions that really harm the industry, which employs up to hundreds of thousands of people and brings Latvia’s economy more than a billion euros a year.”
German gas transit
Initially, ten countries of Eastern Europe, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, immediately opposed the construction of the second line of the Nord Stream gas pipeline. Round dance in this company Poland. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, Nord Stream 2 is not very happy with the senior Polish partners - the Americans, who planned to supply their shale gas to Europe in liquefied form. Secondly, for some time Poland considered itself the second center of power in the European Union and began, at the slightest opportunity, to insert its own "phi" plans of German policy. And the reason for this was very serious.
Germany literally pushed through European sanctions against Russia. Therefore, a lot of words have been said about it, not less arguments and arguments were cited, the main of which was the “principle of European solidarity”. It soon became clear that the EU countries suffered significant economic losses from the sanctions and counter-sanctions, and Germany only won in the new conditions.
Of course, individual German firms were put in a difficult position by new restrictions in business. However, in general, the export-oriented German economy survived. Moreover, due to the multiple reduction in the cost of energy carriers (which is why Russia itself suffered), it gave rise. Attentive European observers have looked closely at this phenomenon and discovered with surprise: Germany has become the beneficiary of anti-Russian sanctions.
What is this expressed? By the beginning of the Ukrainian events, Russia in terms of the main economic indicators pressed Germany out. According to the World Monetary Fund, for the year 2014, Russia's gross domestic product, calculated at purchasing power parity, was 3828 billion US dollars. German GDP - 3763 billion.
That is, the German economic leadership in Europe was in doubt. He was not even corrected by the possibility of association with Ukraine. Poor country slightly affected the growth of German exports. But the sanctions helped. According to the results of 2016, Germany's GDP in PPP exceeded Russian by $ 180 billion. The picture has become even more contrasting in dollar denomination. Here the difference is over a trillion dollars.
For Germany, this is important. She was never able to convert her economic successes into political influence. Outside Europe, it remains minimal. But in the European Union the word of the Germans became decisive. It will be even more significant when Germany, from the largest consumer of Russian gas, turns into its transit country for other EU countries.
This is why Poland is nervous today, forcing its neighbors to repair small and big obstacles to the new gas pipeline. The mayor of Ventspils Aivars Lembergs said this directly: “The Latvian Foreign Ministry does not want Latvia to participate in the implementation of this project, since Poland does not want this.” Experts see the reason for such solidarity actions of Eastern Europeans in the recently appeared new stimulus.
Through the efforts of Germany they pushed aside the second roles of the developing European Union. To do this, even came up with the term "Europe of two speeds." No one doubts: the initiators of this idea are tired of the “alignment” of the EU economies. They now associate their future with the accelerated development of the countries of Old Europe. They “Nord Stream-2” will be a serious support. The countries of the “second line” seem to have given up, and they are now defending themselves as best they can.
As for the reduction of cargo traffic from Russia to the ports of the Baltic States, this is a separate issue, little associated with the pipeline under construction. Its trigger was the unprecedented Russophobia of the Baltic elites. Russia responded to this by building and expanding its ports on the Baltic Sea. Only the new sea trade port in Ust-Luga pulled back almost 100 million tons of Baltic commodity turnover. These trends are increasing. Until the end of the year, Transneft, for example, will completely abandon the oil transit through the Baltic States. Cargo will go to the ports of Primorsk, Ust-Luga and Novorossiysk. However, this is yesterday news. Such plans were announced last year ...
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