EU Postpones Decision on Increased Volumes Through OPAL Project Again

The European Union did not take any decision on whether to grant OPAL gas pipeline the exception Moscow asked for in November 2013, with European officials saying that Brussels might take some more time to carefully understand “some technical issues.”

Some reports also suggest that the delay is politically motivated, intended to give Kiev an edge to hold trilateral negotiations with Moscow and Brussels. According to several Russian outlets, the decision grants some leverage to Ukraine. 

No fresh date has yet been agreed, the commission said, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The European Commission along with German regulator BNetzA have agreed to postpone the deadline for a decision on the OPAL gas pipeline already in July.  

The project would increase Russian gas to Germany, transporting it to the Czech Republic and bypassing Ukraine. At the moment, Moscow can just use of 50% of the existing pipeline.