FRANKFURT, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A majority of EU member states
view U.S. sanctions in connection with the construction of the
Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea as a breach of
international law, German daily Die Welt reported in its online
edition on Friday.
The paper said an EU delegation communicated a diplomatic
position, supported by 24 the bloc's 27 members, to the U.S.
State Department on Aug. 12 in a video call.
Contacted by Reuters, the European Commission had no
immediate comment.
In an emailed statement, the U.S. embassy in Berlin said it
preferred not to use sanctions and favoured cooperation with
Europe, but Russia's dominance in Europe's gas markets had left
it with no choice.
"The United States must act to address the threat to our
national security and foreign policy interests," it said.
Die Welt said diplomatic sources confirmed the call took
place and that the written version of the EU's demarche, or
approach, had been circulated.
"We are highly concerned about the increasing use of
sanctions by the U.S. against European companies and interests,"
the paper quoted the note as saying.
"The EU considers the extraterritorial use of sanctions as a
breach of international law," it said, adding the European
companies involved were pursuing legitimate business
activities.
The United States has tightened sanctions on the pipeline,
designed and led by Russia's Gazprom and due to start
operating in early 2021 to carry gas directly to Germany from
Russia.
Five western partners in the 9.5 billion euros ($11.2
billion) project who committed to sharing 50% of the finance and
have committed sizeable funds say the gas is needed.
The diplomatic note said the EU shared foreign and security
policy goals with the United States and is open to dialogue.
The Nord Stream 2 consortium, based in Switzerland, has
knowledge of the EU's initiative, but would not comment, a
spokesman for the group said.
(Reporting by Vera Eckert, additional reporting by Maria
Sheahan and Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Barbara Lewis)
