Germany’s most important gas importer Uniper is to be nationalized. The chairman of the monopolies commission warns.
An advisory body to the federal government sees the planned nationalization of the gas importer Uniper as a long-term threat to competition.
In view of the general situation, the nationalization is “politically understandable,” said the chairman of the monopoly commission, Jürgen Kühling, of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. But he warned that the move should not be a long-term solution. “We will then have to get back to competition. The aim must not be to create a permanent state gas monopoly.”
On Wednesday, the federal government announced that it wanted to take over almost all of Germany’s most important gas importer Uniper. The background is the complete cessation of the contractually agreed gas supplies from Russia. The resulting increase in replacement costs would have exacerbated Uniper’s plight, it said. Uniper is also a test case for how competition can later be restored in some areas, said Kühling. Discussions are also currently being held about the future of Sefe, a subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, which is already under trusteeship.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
