Germany’s former Economics and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has admitted mistakes regarding Nord Stream 2. However, a stop would have made the ceasefire negotiations in 2014 very difficult.
Former Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) sees mistakes made by the former federal government in connection with the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
“It was a mistake not to listen to the Eastern Europeans when they objected to Nord Stream 2. That was my mistake too,” Gabriel told Die Welt.
“With liberalization in 2002, we transferred responsibility for energy security from the state to private energy companies across Europe. And they looked for the cheapest source: Russian pipeline gas,” said the former Economics and Foreign Minister. Therefore, the liquid gas terminals are underutilized. “The rapid expansion of renewable energies even increased the importance of gas. We should have started in 2014 to question the full liberalization again and to diversify our gas supply for reasons of national security,” says Gabriel.
Gabriel: «The Eastern Europeans were right»
However, stopping Nord Stream 2 would have made the 2014 ceasefire negotiations very difficult. Many, and not only the Germans, assumed that close trade and, above all, raw material relations would allow Russia to be integrated into a stable European order. “The Eastern Europeans have always described it as an illusion – and they were right,” said the Social Democrat.
Nevertheless, one should not make the SPD and its policy of detente the sole “scapegoat” for Germany’s strong energy dependence on Russian natural gas. “Aside from the fact that the total denationalization of the energy supply was more of a liberal-conservative creed, Russia policy has been led by a Union Chancellor since 2005, just as the Bundeswehr has been ruined by Union Defense Ministers since 2002,” said Gabriel.
Source: Stern
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