What goes on in Poland on the 1st of August.
Lobbying for Nord Stream 2
The Center for Responsive Politics reports show that Nord Stream 2 AG and companies from Western Europe financing the project have spent 1,48 million dollars on lobbying activities in the USA to convince key institutions. Information on this subject is available to the public in accordance with the law on open lobbying in the USA.
In the first half of 2018, Nord Stream 2 spent 1,18 million dollars for this purpose. The lobbyists handed over to Roberti Global, working in the US Senate, spent USD 860 thousand (in the whole 2017 it was 1,010 million). The Hawksbill Group, which did not reveal the purpose of lobbying activities, obtained 160,000 dollars in relation to 160,000 in the entire last year. In the first half of 2018, SMW Partners obtained 160,000 dollars compared to 130,000 last year.
Support from Europe
The Nord Stream 2 financial partners have also spent money on lobbying in the US: ENGIE, Shell, Uniper, OMB and Wintershall have allocated $ 300,000 for lobbying. They gave $ 60,000 to McLarty Associates, targeting the Department of State, both houses of Congress and the National Security Council.
USA against Nord Stream 2 but without sanctions
Their efforts have not changed the US position. The Americans emphasize that they are against the Nord Stream 2 project, because it will increase the influence of Russian Gazprom, and thus the Kremlin, in Europe. Nevertheless, the US has not decided to introduce unilateral sanctions against project partners. The US Senate gave such a possibility to the President of the United States. However, he stated at a meeting with the Russian president that Nord Stream 2 would be implemented, because Germany made such a decision. These, in turn, consider it a purely commercial venture.
