EU foreign policy chief warns on ‘robust’ response to attacks on EU energy infrastructure

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) - The EU foreign policy chief promised on Wednesday a “robust and united response” to "deliberate" attacks on the bloc’s energy infrastructure.

In a statement released on behalf of the European Union, Josep Borrell expressed “deep concerns” over the gas leaks detected at the Nord Stream I and II pipelines at the Baltic sea.

He underlined that “these incidents are not a coincidence” and “all available information indicates those leaks are the result of a deliberate act.”

He pledged support for investigations and vowed further steps to increase the EU’s resilience in energy security.

“Any deliberate disruption of European energy infrastructure is utterly unacceptable and will be met with a robust and united response,” he asserted.

On Tuesday, Swedish and Danish authorities confirmed that gas had been dripping from the pipelines under the Baltic Sea.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it was hard to imagine that the gas leaks were caused by a “coincidence.”

The country's Energy Minister Dan Jorgensen also said the gas leaks were not due to accidents but were the result of explosions.

The Russia-owned Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which runs from Russia under the Baltic Sea to Germany, was originally created to double the volume of gas transported directly to Germany. But just as work on the pipeline was completed, Germany decided to cancel it after the start of Russia's war on Ukraine.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which stretches 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast near St Petersburg to northeastern Germany, was stopped by Russia following Germany's decision to halt the certification of Nord Stream 2.