ENGIE, Gazprom, OMV, Shell, Uniper, and Wintershall (the applicants) submitted their joint response to the Statement of Objections of the Polish competition authority in the merger control proceedings regarding the planned creation of a joint venture among the applicants. Following that, the applicants have decided to jointly withdraw their merger control notification from the Polish competition authority.
All the applicants believe that the project is crucial for the European energy system and each of them will therefore individually contemplate alternative ways to contribute to it. The applicants’ decision to withdraw the notification will not affect the continuation by Nord Stream 2 AG of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipelines as planned, including its scheduling.
About Nord Stream 2
Nord Stream 2 will be a twin pipeline system that can transport natural gas from the world's largest reserves in Northern Russia to supply homes and businesses across Europe.
Funded by leading international energy companies, the project builds on the success and experience of Nord Stream, which opened twin pipelines through the Baltic Sea in 2011 and 2012. The new pipelines will increase capacity along the Baltic Sea route from Russia to Germany, helping to safeguard Europe's long-term energy security.