Ursula
© REUTERS/Francois LenoirFILE PHOTO: Ursula von der Leyen
It's a screaming headline in BILD, with "PUTIN" installed in the banner headline for better tabloid* effect, but the story is paywalled, so your translator resorted to Ria.Novosti for the text. After the translation, I will add several comments on this news from Facebook friends in Germany.

The new head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, believes that the Nord Stream II gas pipeline project entails a too-strong risk of the EU being dependent on Russian energy resources.

Nord Stream II has "an economic and of course a political dimension," said the former head of the Federal Ministry of Defense. "There is a risk of over-reliance on Russian energy resources, other forms of energy are important for diversifying energy supplies. We need competition, and we need to take into account the interests of our eastern neighbors," von der Leyen said in an interview with the tabloid Bild.

After a difficult discussion on the candidacy, the European Parliament approved the appointment of von der Leyen as the new President of the European Commission for the next five years. 374 votes were required for approval, 383 MPs supported her. The Nord Stream II project involves the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year, from the Russian coast via the Baltic Sea to Germany.

Completion is scheduled for 2019.

Ukraine, which fears losing revenue from the transit of Russian gas, and a number of European countries, including Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania, and the United States, which is shipping liquefied natural gas to the EU, are actively opposed to the project.

The Russian side has repeatedly stated that the Nord Stream II project is fully commercial and competitive.

First German comment:

"Well look at this ... Ursula von der Leyen emphasizes the risks and dangers of Nord Stream II. Luckily, there is American fracking gas. The US is an absolutely reliable partner and would never get the idea of breaking treaties for political and economic reasons, or even using their economic power as a lever. "

and:

"The next day after her "election" as President of the Commission, von der Leyen proves a lack of far-sightedness, but presumably fulfills exactly the interests of those who, with their backroom exchange, have catapulted her to the post. "

And another:

"That's why they put her there."

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  • Tabloid: go to Bild.de and it is plain to see that this paper would disgrace the racks of a grocery store newsstand.