It all started when leading European politicians, towering amongst them the German chancellor Angela Merkel, openly criticized the extraterritorial nature of U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2, stating that the latest round of sanctions that would target any entity involved in the construction of the subsea gas conduit go beyond international norms of law. Then came EU gas companies and lobby groups, calling for quick and decisive measures vis-à-vis the openly antagonistic U.S. government. The genuine surprise after all this came on July 06 when the Danish Energy Agency agreed to the usage of anchor positioning for pipelaying ships, paving the way for new pipelaying options for Gazprom, the Russian gas export monopoly. By answering 5 basic questions, we will analyze the current prospects and challenges of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, amid intense pressure from the US government to stall its construction and a hardening European stance to […]