Poland wins bid to restrict Russian access to gas link

Warsaw, Sept 10 (AFP) Europe's top court backed Tuesday a Polish bid to restrict Russia's access to a key natural gas pipeline running through Germany, which Warsaw says will safeguard energy security. The EU General Court, which belongs to the European Court of Justice, ruled against a 2016 decision by the European Commission allowing Russia's Gazprom to use the Opal pipeline to send larger quantities of natural gas to Germany.

Opal is a 480-kilometre (300 mile) pipeline linked to the Nord Stream I pipeline which pumps Russian gas under the Baltic Sea to Germany. The Opal pipeline runs parallel to the German-Polish border all the way to the Czech Republic.

Warsaw filed a legal challenge against the commission's move arguing that Gazprom could use the Opal link to bypass Poland and Ukraine to send gas west and thus put their energy security at risk. "The Court notes that the 2016 decision was adopted in breach of the principle of energy solidarity," the EU General Court in Luxembourg said in Tuesday's decision.

"Consequently, the Court quashes this decision of the Commission," it said. The European Commission said Tuesday that it would "carefully analyse" the ruling, adding that it "highly valued" the principle of energy solidarity among member states.

Poland's energy minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski hailed the ruling. "We're pleased that the European court resolved the case in this way," he told reporters in Warsaw.

"It maintains our energy security, as well as that of Ukraine and also Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, at a fairly high level," Tchorzewski said. "This decision fundamentally changes the negotiating position (on the transit of Russian gas) in favour of Ukraine... and complicates matters for Russia," Piotr Wozniak, head of Poland's PGNiG state-owned gas company told journalists in Warsaw. (AFP) RUP