“Estonia considers Nord Stream 2 a political project,” Nestor said. “We wish that the Council of the European Union start discussions on updating the Gas Directive as soon as possible.”

According to the proposed changes to the Gas Directive, all gas pipelines entering European Union territory from non-EU countries have to comply with the rules of EU energy legislation. “The joint statement of the parliaments supports these principles,” Nestor said.

“I have informed my colleagues of my decision to sign the joint statement,” he added. “The reason I am doing this today is simple. I sign only those statements on behalf of Estonia that I have acquainted myself with beforehand. The statement was born in the cooperation of Lithuania and Poland. This morning I, too, received the text of the statement, and I decided to join it.”

On Sunday, March 12 in Vilnius, Speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, Ināra Mūrniece, and Speaker of the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, Marek Kuchciński, all signed a statement against the planned Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline running along the bottom of the Baltic Sea.

According to the statement, the aim of Nord Stream 2 is not diversifying of gas sources, but increasing the energy dependence of the EU, especially Central and East Europe, on Russia, and thus preserving their vulnerability.