Schröder before committee: health problems or political excuses?

Schröder before committee: health problems or political excuses?

Gerhard Schröder, the former Chancellor and former party chairman of the SPD, is currently being asked intensively by an investigation committee in the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state parliament. The reason for attention is his entanglements in the controversial North Stream Pipelines and the associated foundation, which was launched in 2021 to secure the construction of Nord Stream 2 against US sanctions. In the past few months, the committee has tried to bring light into the dark with regard to Schröder's commitment and its contacts with the state government.

On the Federal Party Congress of the SPD, it recently became clear that the party speaks against north stream 1 and 2 against the resumption of natural gas deliveries from Russia. This is a direct episode of Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has resulted in a rethink in German energy policy, as the Augsburg Allgemeine . This reorientation of the energy supply contributes to the political debate in Germany, but continues to leave the questions about North Stream Pipelines and Schröder's role.

Schröder's support for north stream 2

The former Chancellor has believed: In a letter to the committee, he explained that he believed that the Baltic Seepeline Nord Stream 2 was still necessary for Germany. Schröder supports this statement by the fact that German industry is dependent on safe and inexpensive energy in order to be able to consist of international competition. In this context, he emphasizes that natural gas represents an environmentally friendly Alternative to liquid gas from tankers and speaks of an "unpredictable transition period" in energy supply, such as the also reported.

Schröder has canceled several charges for witnesses for health reasons, as reported by the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern/nord-stream-gerhard-schroeder-groeder-pipeline-projekt. However, he takes part in political events such as the election of the new Lower Saxony Prime Minister Olaf Lies. This raises questions about his actual interrogation and makes his memory problems with regard to the conversations about the pipeline project also appear in a strange light. His lawyer criticizes the claim for an official medical report as legally questionable, while the committee is willing to offer alternative forms of the survey in order to adequately hear Schröder.

The discussion about Schröder and Nord Stream Pipelines is a hot iron - both politically and in public perception. While the SPD has positioned itself clearly and is against Russian gas deliveries, the support of Schröder for Nord Stream 2 remains. The outcome of the investigation and the future role of the pipeline will be crucial for energy policy in Germany and beyond.