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Not only since the Nawalnys poisoning has there been a dispute in Germany over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Now the East German heads of government have taken a joint position: they are calling for the German-Russian project to be maintained.
The prime ministers of the East German states have voted unanimously in favor of the completion of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. The project is important for the energy supply of the future in Germany and Europe, according to a document that the six heads of government unanimously approved at a meeting in Berlin.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) originally suggested that a resolution should be passed directly to the federal government to join Nord Stream 2. In the run-up to the conference, however, the deputy heads of government of the Greens in the eastern states protested vehemently. The federal state of Schwesig is the only one of the six eastern German states without the involvement of the green government. Ultimately, it was only noted at the meeting that the prime ministers had discussed the issue in conversation. No official decision was made.
Müller: a “crucial role” project
Schwesig promoted the project on several fronts. The completion of the Baltic Sea pipeline remains correct and sensible, it was said after the meeting. “I am very happy that the eastern German states have come out in favor of completing the pipeline. We need them for a safe and reliable power supply,” said Schwesig.
Berlin’s ruling mayor Michael Müller (SPD), who is currently chairing the Eastern Ministerial Conference, said gas will remain important for at least a transition period. “It is a project that plays a crucial role in our change in energy and climate policy, and that is why we came to the conclusion that we want to continue it.” Saxony Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) emphasized: “It is economically necessary for us, but it is also necessary that we stand together with Russia.”
Baerbock: It’s not too late to stop
In the Bundestag, however, there was a dispute over the project. In a motion, the Green parliamentary group called on the federal government to “immediately distance itself from the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and take appropriate measures to prevent its completion.” There was no vote, the motion was sent to the committees with the votes of the other political groups.
Greens federal president Annalena Baerbock said in the debate that the pipeline “divides Europe.” The project “undermines the strategic sovereignty of foreign policy and counteracts European climate and energy goals.” It is not too late to stop.
The AfD demanded from the government a commitment to the pipeline and a speedy completion.
Schwesig accuses the Greens of irresponsibility
The leader of the left-wing parliamentary group, Dietmar Bartsch, has accused the Greens of becoming lobbyists for expensive and dirty US fracking gas Nord Stream 2 benefits both Europe and Germany. The Greens’ external expert Jürgen Trittin responded that a representative from the left was publicly standing to the applause of the AfD and declaring that Germany made sovereign decisions on its energy policy. “Energy policy is European in the common internal market, I should have learned it!” Shouted Trittin Bartsch.
Schwesig accused the Greens of irresponsibility. “For a party that would like to take responsibility for the government, I would like to see more complaints,” he said. Nord Stream 2 is not just a Russian project. It is worth “billions, 97 percent has already been completed,” the prime minister said.
The project has been controversial for years.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is intended to supply Russian natural gas to the German and European markets. At Lubmin, near Greifswald in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, it should reach the German mainland. The line is almost complete. Russian natural gas already flows through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, which also lands in Lubmin.
The pipeline has been controversial for years. Several EU countries fear being overly dependent on energy imports from Russia. In the spring, the US imposed sanctions on companies involved in the project to ensure construction work was halted. There is currently a dispute over whether the project should be stopped as a sanction against Russia in the case of poisoned Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
