The Nordic Countries gave the green light for the Nord Stream
Posted by editor on 11/05/09 • Categorized as Baltic States, Energy, Neighbours, Russia, Scandinavia, Security • 
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The Swedish governments on 6 November gave the green light to the Nord Stream by giving its permission for German firm Nord Stream AG to lay down pipelines for transporting natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Swedish and economic zone of the Baltic Sea, the local.se and informed.
The Swedish Environment Minister Anders Carlgren said”We have thus concluded that a yes is the only available decision. The government is satisfied that the planned route is in accordance with Swedish responsibilities to protect and preserve the marine environment”.
In the Governmental press release the Minister stated, “The government has set high demands to ensure that the sensitive environment in the Baltic Sea is not threatened. The company has been required to provide a series of supplementary examinations and has satisfied each stage of the deliberation process.”
The Finnish Helsingin Sanomat informed that the Finnish Government is very likely to follow the Swedish move. A final decision on Finnish approval for the pipeline project is to come by early next year from the Western Finland Environmental Permit Authority.
Denmark approved the Nord Stream at the end of October.
The Lithuanian President Grybauskaite, meanwhile in the Summit in Brussels on 30 October stated “The “Nord Stream” project is very sensitive, and it is sensitive not only environmentally, but politically also. And the phenomena when such kind of strategic projects are practically negotiated on a bilateral basis beyond the framework of the EU, of course, is a phenomena which, politically, for some member states is not easy to accept,” BNS informed.
The Lithuanian Prime Minister Kubilius stated at the beginning of Autumn to BNs “We’re certainly concerned and we’re against it, both for environmental issues that could ensue and for certain political consequences, and Russia’s openly-declared bid to dominate in the Baltic Sea and use its military force for alleged protection of the pipeline, and because of how this could change Gazprom’s attitude to supplying gas to countries outside the reach of the pipeline, including the Baltic States.”
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Estonian Fund for Nature (EFN) submitted an appeal to the Administrative Court of Vaasa concerning the munitions clearance permit issued by Western Finland Permitting Authority. Nord Stream AG has acquired the permit for clearing munitions in the Finnish waters as a part of the Russian–German natural gas pipeline project. According to the EU environmental impact assessment (EIA) directive and Espoo Convention, such permit can not be issued before the EIA of the whole project has not completed.
According to EFN, the parts of the permit decision concerning the transboundary impacts to Estonia contain incorrect statements on impact assessment and risk analyses. The permitting authority has trusted explanations of the developer, without their critical examination. Estonian state authorities and scientists have pointed out several aspects according to which EIA, and in particular, the munitions clearance application, provided by Nord Stream AG is incomplete and inaccurate. That EIA has not adequately assessed impacts of toxicants in sediments which are resuspended by the clearance of munitions, affecting wildlife and human health.
“The permit application concerning munitions clearance should be rejected as the environmental impact assessment is not finalized”, says CEO of EFN Jüri-Ott Salm. “Nord Stream AG is trying to split the project, using a practice referred to as “salami slicing” – splitting a large project to small parts to conduct them silently. The reports of the monitoring of the implementation of the EU EIA directive have brought examples of this practice as non-recommendable practice.”
EFN has appealed to court in order to revise and halt the permit for munitions clearance until all international obligations have been fulfilled including provision of public with adequate environmental risk assessment.
http://kirikiriloodushoid.wordpress.com/2009/11/03/estonian-fund-for-nature-brought-the-munitions-clearance-decision-of-the-nord-stream-gas-pipeline-to-justice/