Germany and France agree Russia gas deal

GERMANY and France have reached a deal over the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which critics warn will rob crisis-hit Ukraine of gas transit fees and increase the EU’S dependence on Russian gas.

Under the compromise, which threatened to open a rift between the EU’S two most powerful countries, Berlin will remain the lead negotiator on the project. But Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy giant, will have to follow EU regulations and will no longer be the sole operator of the pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine to supply Germany with gas.

EU ambassadors backed the deal at a meeting in Brussels yesterday, despite the opposition of Bulgaria, which is traditionally close to Russia. Their agreement must also be negotiated with the European Parliament.

The 764-mile Russian-german pipeline is being built under the Baltic to deliver Russian gas directly to Germany, for further distribution across Europe. The new rules would make the £8.3billion project more complicated and expensive.

France had publicly warned that the project would make the EU more dependent on Russian energy supplies.

It said it would support changes to the bloc’s gas directive so EU rules applied to pipelines coming from non-eu countries. Berlin attempted to build a blocking majority against the changes after having ignored widespread opposition to the plan for years.

About 37 per cent of all the EU’S gas supplies come from Russia, according to the latest figures.