Environmental group in push to stop Nord Stream 2 in Finland
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
15.05.2018 13:40
Environmental group ClientEarth says it has submitted a complaint to a Finnish administrative court in a bid to halt the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline through Finnish waters.
Photo: Finmiki/pixabay.com/CC0 Creative Commons
The Finnish government in early April gave the go-ahead to the construction of the contested Nord Stream 2 undersea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through Finland's economic zone.
The pipeline, which would run for 374 kilometres through Finland’s economic zone in the Baltic Sea, is a controversial project opposed by Poland and several other countries.
According to ClientEarth, the project poses a serious risk to marine life.
Marcin Stoczkiewicz, head of ClientEarth’s Central and Eastern Europe operations, has said: “The Baltic Sea is a complex ecosystem and any loss of protected marine life in Finnish territory will inevitably have negative consequences for Polish Natura 2000 areas.”
Natura 2000 is a Europe-wide network of nature conservation sites.
Meanwhile, the pipeline’s operator started preparatory work shortly after Finland approved the pipeline last month, according to the Reuters news agency.
The work involves detonating “ammunition from the Second World War, currently sitting on the sea floor,” according to ClientEarth.
“Underwater detonations can cause serious harm to protected marine mammals. Harbour porpoises, grey and ringed seals and wild marine birds may suffer injuries or even die due to the detonations,” ClientEarth said on Monday in a statement posted on its website.
In addition to environmental concerns, ClientEarth argues the construction of the pipeline threatens energy security in the European Union.
Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Konrad Szymański has said that the Nord Stream 2 gas link should not be built because it will harm the European Union and Ukraine.
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Source: clientearth.org, Reuters