Analyses confirm it makes sense that NATO builds oil pipelines that reach its eastern flank, because at this point they end in Germany. They would increase the security of fuel supplies to the military, but it is unclear how to finance them. Poland is seeking the Alliance’s support in this matter.
Poland raised the issue of fuel pipelines at the NATO summit in Vilnius, demanding NATO funding for their extension to the eastern flank. Such systems are already in place in the older member states.
„The NATO Pipeline System (NPS) was created during the Cold War, in order to supply NATO troops in the event of a conflict with the USSR with a wide range of fuels with a specific specification,” explained Marcin Skowron, spokesman for the National Security Office in a comment to BiznesAlert.pl. „The main component of the NPS is the Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS). It stretches from the French ports, through the Benelux, to the former border of West and East Germany. Transport of fuels further east – to the states of the eastern flank-is carried out by rail and road transport. It is less efficient than transportation by pipeline,” the spokesman said.
„The expansion of the system of fuel pipelines to Poland and the Baltic states would increase the security of the countries of the region, facilitating the actions of NATO forces in the event of a crisis. The investment could be co-financed by NATO (under the NATO Security Investment Programme, NSIP) and private entities (e.g. civil airports), which could use the pipeline in peacetime,” Skowron proposed. „CEPS is one of the initiatives particularly promoted by the president of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda as part of strengthening the allied infrastructure in the region. During the NATO summit in Vilnius, the President of the Republic of Poland raised the issue of CEPS in addition to the demand to fill the allied military warehouses in the flank states. At the same time, on the initiative of Poland, allied military analyses were carried out confirming the legitimacy of the expansion of the CEPS on the eastern flank. President Andrzej Duda raised the issue of pipeline financing at the NATO summit. They end in Germany, these are the remnants of what was built during the Cold War,” the spokesman reminded. ”
We would like – after more than 20 years of our presence in NATO – the alliance to finally decide to finance their expansion so that they reach here, the eastern flank of NATO,” the President said before the summit. There is no information on any arrangements in this regard and it does not appear in the Alliance’s post-summit communication beyond general references to the need to ensure the security of supplies of raw materials and the protection of critical infrastructure.
Wojciech Jakóbik