New documents from the state government indicate that Nord Stream 2 tried by all means to enforce the pipeline project. Now a German-Russian association is also causing discussions.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) continues to come under pressure because of her Russia policy.
As the weekly newspaper “Die Zeit” reported, the Gazprom subsidiary Nord Stream 2 requested “political support” in the approval process for the billion-euro project as early as spring 2016. Schwesig defended her support for the construction of the pipeline.
The “Zeit” quoted from a presentation by Nord Stream 2 for the responsible Ministry of Energy in Schwerin. “A corresponding cabinet decision is desirable in the current legislative period,” it says there. According to “Zeit”, the presentation is one of the documents that the State Chancellery handed over to the transparency organization “FragDenstaat” at the request of the Freedom of Information Act.
According to “Zeit”, the Ministry of Energy specifically advertised two positions for the Stralsund Mining Authority as the responsible approval authority in order to be able to meet Nord Stream 2 AG’s schedule. Such job creations are common in projects of this dimension, said the then Minister of Energy and current Minister of the Interior Christian level (SPD) the newspaper.
Construction of the approximately 1,200-kilometer-long Russian-German pipeline, which runs parallel to the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline completed in 2011, was in 2018. Threats of sanctions by the USA delayed the construction of the new pipeline, which was completed in 2021 with the help of a foundation set up by Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania became. However, as a reaction to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the gas pipeline was not granted an operating permit.
Schwesig defends himself
Schwesig dismissed criticism of her support for the pipeline construction. “For many decades, Germany has relied heavily on natural gas from Russia for its energy supply,” said the SPD politician on Wednesday. The project was always supported by the federal government from Union and SPD. The pipeline was one of the largest infrastructure projects in recent years. “It is completely clear that a state government and also the Prime Minister are holding talks with investors. Always in the interest of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,” emphasized Schwesig, who had previously described her partnership strategy towards Russia as a mistake from today’s perspective.
She got support from the economy. From an economic perspective, there were many good reasons to support the completion of Nord Stream 2, said Oliver Hermes, chairman of the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, of the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Thursday). The Soviet Union and later Russia had been reliable suppliers of energy for decades.
There was new criticism of the state government on Wednesday because of an item of 350,000 euros in the government draft of the state budget 2022/23 for the German-Russian partnership MV. The draft budget was approved in the cabinet on March 15, almost three weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.
The planned sum gives the impression that the SPD is planning for the time after the war, said the financial policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group in the state parliament, Marc Reinhardt. FDP parliamentary group leader René Domke sees Schwesig’s credibility in question. The chairman of the association is former prime minister Erwin Sellering. A government spokesman said when asked by dpa: “No funds have been paid to the association. We don’t have an application for it either.” After the Russian invasion, Schwesig said he asked the club to stop work.
Source: Stern
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
