One of the UK’s most prestigious universities is facing allegations that it is providing a platform for lobbying on behalf of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project between Germany and Russia.

The German watchdog LobbyControl has accused King’s College London of lending an appearance of neutrality to a former German MP whose company has commercial contracts with Nord Stream 2 and an energy firm which stands to profit from the infrastructure project across the Baltic Sea.

The gas pipeline, which will run from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany, has come under renewed scrutiny after the US president, Donald Trump, said at this month’s Nato summit that Germany had become “a captive of the Russians” because of its dependence on energy supplies from Russia.

The project has also been criticised by the European commission, which says it undermines plans for a closer energy union, and eastern European states such as Ukraine, who say it is designed to increase Russia’s geopolitical power.

The UK has for the first time expressed its fierce opposition of Nord Stream. The foreign minister Sir Alan Duncan last week told MPs the pipeline “represents a risk to European energy security and to Ukraine. Existing pipelines already provide enough capacity to meet the European demand for gas. We do not believe that Nord Stream 2 is necessary and we remain concerned that its construction will be harmful to European interests and those of Ukraine”.

Critics say the prevalent view in Berlin, that Nord Stream 2 is economically necessary to meet Germany’s energy needs despite targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has been established by a network of influential lobbyists.



Friedbert Pflüger, a former deputy defence minister and Berlin mayoral candidate who has no scientific background, is listed on King’s College’s website as the director of the university’s European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS).

The website does not explicitly state that Pflüger is also a businessman whose Berlin-based company Pflüger International advises and lobbies politicians on behalf of a host of international energy firms.

Under Pflüger’s directorship, EUCERS has published a strategy paper on Nord Stream 2, emblazoned with the King’s College logo, which was sponsored by Shell, OMV, Wintershall, Uniper and Engie – the five energy companies who have invested in the planned pipeline.

Pflüger rejects the claim he is a lobbyist for Nord Stream 2, saying instead that he merely has a contract to provide advice on “energy market analysis and strategic orientation”.

He also has a contract with Uniper. In response to a query from LobbyControl, the Düsseldorf-based company said Pflüger had a mandate to organise and chair panel debates.

King’s College said it merely provided office and desk space for EUCERS through its war studies department and that the centre’s activity was entirely funded through grants and donations from third parties. EUCERS’ operations coordinator said there was “no overlap between clients of Pflüger International and donors of EUCERS”.

According to information obtained by LobbyControl, however, at least two organisations – Central EuropeEnergy Partners (CEEP) and the lobby group Zukunft Erdgas – have both been clients of Pflüger International and sponsors of EUCERS. CEEP say they have since cut all contractual ties with Pflüger International and oppose the pipeline project.

When the allegations were put to EUCERS’ operations coordinator, she replied that she was not aware of any overlap, and that she was “not involved with Pflüger International and am not aware of all their clients”.



When asked about the allegations, Pflüger insisted there was a strict separation between his academic role for EUCERS and activity on behalf of Pflüger International. In 2017, however, Pflüger - in his guise as a representative of Pflüger International - invited the EU’s commissioner for climate action and energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, to speak at an energy symposium, but then appeared on the panel in his role as director of King’s College’s EUCERS.

Pflüger has been asked to comment on this specific incident but not responded so far.



Ulrich Müller, an analyst for LobbyControl, said: “The question is why King’s College London is tolerating an institute that is entirely funded by third parties and whose activities are being significantly steered by the director of a lobbying firm and are closely related to the services of that firm?

“In other words, why is King’s helping to cultivate a commercial lobbyist as a neutral academic expert?”

King’s College said in a statement that it was “aware of Professor Pflüger’s general industry connections”.

Referring to the strategy paper sponsored by Shell, Wintershall and others, the university said: “The report’s research was independent, subjected to a rigorous academic peer review process and not influenced by outside parties.”

Additional reporting by Patrick Wintour