OMV demands political response to U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2

The Austrian energy company OMV has called for a political response to the latest U.S. threat of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project.

The dispute around the natural gas pipeline is about the extent to which Europe will defend its independence, in particular as it pertains to its energy supply, the company’s chief executive Rainer Seele told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Seele added that it was up to politicians, not the companies, to respond. "However, as a European company, we expect politicians to work to ensure that Europe does not lose its attractiveness as an investment location," Sputnik cited him as saying.

The U.S. Senate last week passed its version of the 2021 defence spending bill, which authorises new sanctions against Nord Stream 2. It has to be reconciled with the relevant House bill before it moves to President Donald Trump.

The bill effectively prohibits any companies from laying pipes, providing underwriting and services on the project, or providing port facilities for the ships involved. If approved, the bill will be enforced retroactively to December 2019.