EU lawyers gave cautious support this week to a proposal by the bloc’s executive to extend its energy market rules to regulate offshore pipelines including Russia’s planned 9.5-billion euro gas line to Germany. Pipes are loaded onto a vessel in the northern port of Mukran, on the island of Ruegen, Germany, February 28, 2018. Axel Schmidt/Nord Stream 2 Handout via Reuters The European Commission was within its rights to draft the amendment, according to the opinion seen by Reuters that contradicts critics who say regulators are overreaching. It adds to a series of conflicting opinions from EU legislators on whether the bloc should have a say over the Nord Stream 2 project to pump Russian gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing traditional routes through Ukraine. The project is backed by Germany, which approved its construction on Tuesday, and five northern European firms, who seek […]