If President Donald Trump is preparing to attack Germany against the US by threatening to destroy the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with additional sanctions.
According to two German officials familiar with the talks, Chancellor Angela Merkel's administration is considering pushing for coordinated EU action. In a letter to the finance ministry seen by Bloomberg News, such actions by the US are new and pose significant risks to German and European companies and banks, as well as state agencies.
The 1,200-kilometer (745-mile) pipeline beneath the Baltic Sea, designed to pump Russian gas directly into Germany, has led to deep differences between EU member states. Officials said the possibility of direct intervention in the fuel benefits of the 27 members represents a collective response.
Germany's new strategy, which announced potential tariffs on $ 3.1 billion worth of products from Germany and other European countries, this week added to the prospect of moving into translation with the US. Trump has reaffirmed his intention to reduce the number of US troops in Germany and revive the threat of hitting the German auto industry with a new set.
Because the Trump campaign is in trouble, and the Kovid-19 pandemic is at a standstill. Flashpoints between the two sides are happening several times as there is a risk of getting out of control.
Last week, EU diplomats were discussing whether to continue the ban on American travelers as external border controls begin to be lifted. Officials are aiming to allow a list of citizens who can use the transition rate as one of their criteria, which the US appears to have excluded.
German health minister Jens Spahn points out new epidemics in the US as a sign of the epidemic's onset.
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However, in a letter to US and Treasury Secretary Steven Menuchin, Europeans are looking at the beginning of Bloomberg News in France after exiting negotiations aimed at finding a global deal on Internet companies such as Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. It is proposed to limit the tax on automated digital services such as search and social media, excluding retailers such as the UK, Italy and Spain and Amazon.
Merkel is intensifying its attacks on Germany and helping Nord Stream, which is owned by Gazprom PJSC, help steer its plans for seven summits at Camp David this month. At a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last week, he said Germany was "guilty" of defense spending and was sending "billions" to Vladimir Putin.
"We are going to protect Germany from Russia, but Germany is paying billions of dollars for the energy coming from the pipeline," Trump said. "I'm sorry. How does it work?"
The US sanctions that Trump signed in December have confused the pipeline's completion of targeting pipeline vessels. German officials said that by delaying the project, new measures proposed by US senators could endanger the Nord Stream.
An official said any response, including sanctions, should be carefully weighed. Four months ahead of Trump's poll numbers in the US presidential election, he may follow previous tariff threats - especially on German autos.
German Finance Minister Peter Altmeyer issued a warning earlier this month about the legality of the new measures, suggesting that implementing them would lead to a new reduction in interactions.
Altmire told reporters in Berlin on June 12, "The German government has long held that sanctions against supernatural influence are contrary to international law and are not contributing to further international cooperation." . "
Bundestag MPs in the Committee on Economic Affairs discussed the issue of retaliation at a June 17 meeting. Klaus Ernest, chairman of the anti-capitalist Left Party, said the parties agree that such actions would violate international law.
“The government has been asked to develop and call for proposals for a measured, clear response from Germany and the European Union,” Ernest said in a statement following the closed-door meeting.
Pipeline time
The German industry is worried that the new seal of sanctions is signaling sanctions in Europe, which will strengthen US-EU trade relations and traditional loyalties, Michael Harms, managing director of the Eastern European Committee of the BDI Lobby, told reporters. Week. 670 companies from 25 countries have worked in the pipeline.
Gazprom on ships heading to the Baltic coast of Germany is ready to complete the pipeline in the face of American resistance. Officials in Copenhagen have been asked to call the DP3 class vessels in Danish waters.
Academic Chursky, who Russia could use to build the remainder of the gas-export link, arrived at the German Baltic port last month after a two-month voyage from the Sea of Japan.
It is unclear whether the Russians intend to move forward, with about 150 kilometers left for the pipeline, but the German ministry said it would have to resume work by early 2021 to complete work this summer.
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