MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2020) Germany should come up with countermeasures to the sanctions imposed by the United States against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, members of the German parliament from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party told Sputnik on Friday.
On Tuesday, US officials said that Nord Stream 2 would be added to the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, meaning that companies involved with the pipelines are now at risk of US sanctions. Part of another Russian gas export pipelines to Europe, the TurkStream, was designated as well.
"Counter-sanctions must be imposed and import duties must be imposed on US-gas. On the other hand, companies must be protected from possible US sanctions by the Federal Government assuming the associated risks. Entry restrictions for Germany and Europe may also be considered," Steffen Kotre, AfD spokesman in the German parliament's committee on economic affairs and energy, told Sputnik.
According to Kotre, attacks on the natural gas cooperation between Germany and Russia through sanctions that violate international law are also attacks on Germany's sovereignty.
The lawmaker pointed out that delays of construction brought about by US sanctions have already resulted in European gas consumers having to pay a higher price.
"From experience, one can only say that Americans must be made aware that these sanctions must be used to build counter-sanctions that hurt even more than before. One aspect would be for example, to impose special tariffs on all exports of the American industry linked to gas or oil," Heiko Hessenkemper, another AfD member of the Bundestag Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy, told Sputnik.
Hessenkemper suggested that the revenue from this tax could then be used to compensate for the damage inflicted by sanctions.
Among other possible countermeasures against US pro-sanctions politicians that the German lawmaker proposed was entry bans and seizure of assets in Europe.
The lawmaker echoed an opinion voiced by many experts and professionals in that the rationale of Washington's sanctions on Nord Stream 2 is to make room for US fracking gas in the European energy market.
Nord Stream 2 is a 745-mile-long offshore twin pipeline on the final stage of its construction. Departing from Russia and arriving at a reception terminal in Germany, the pipeline has a capacity to supply gas across Europe and secure enough energy for up to 26 million households.
