Orlova's lawyer: Germany needs a local operator to control Nord Stream 2 
Yekaterina Orlova, head of legal practice at CM Grace Consulting, explained certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline by Germany in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper.
According to the lawyer, this was done due to the need to regulate the ownership and use of the German section of the pipeline with Gazprom's contracts … “After all, Gazprom’s structure will conclude an agreement with an affiliated operator to use the German section,” she explained.
As Orlova added, a local operator is needed for a greater level of control. At the same time, Nord Stream 2 AG is registered in the Swiss canton of Zug, which is often used to optimize taxation. Switzerland itself is not a member of the EU, and therefore does not obey the Union directives and decisions of the European Commission, like Germany.
On November 16, the German Federal Grid Agency notified Gazprom and other parties to the Nord Stream 2 agreement that suspended certification of the gas pipeline for legal reasons.