Icon: enlarge
Protest against the controversial environmental foundation
Photo: HAYOUNG JEON / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
Green leader Annalena Baerbock has called for a foundation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania that is to support the expansion of Nord Stream 2 to be stopped.
The establishment of a foundation for the completion of the Baltic Sea pipeline underlines that it is by no means a purely entrepreneurial project, said Baerbock of the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung".
»The fact that a foundation under the guise of climate protection is being financed with Russian money and solely used to complete the pipeline is simply outrageous.
Not only in terms of climate policy, but above all geostrategic. «
Last week, the Schwerin state parliament cleared the way for the establishment of a state-owned environmental foundation.
The foundation, which is oriented towards the common good, aims to promote projects in the field of environmental, nature and climate protection, but also to be able to be commercially active.
The foundation plans to buy components and machines that are essential for the completion of the gas pipeline.
This is intended to circumvent threatened US sanctions against companies involved in the construction of the line as far as possible.
Baerbock told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" that Nord Stream 2 was not needed to secure the gas supply.
The existing pipeline network is completely sufficient for this.
Proponents of the line, however, point out that the import demand for natural gas in Europe will increase in the coming years, among other things because production in traditional producing countries such as Great Britain or the Netherlands is declining.
The US dual strategy
The USA, in turn, are making a number of arguments against the project: On the one hand, they warn of Europe's growing dependence on Russia, a possible destabilization of Ukraine and billions in profits that the Kremlin will use for dark purposes.
In addition, US politicians are campaigning aggressively in the EU to replace Russian pipeline gas with liquefied gas exports from North America.
Green leader Baerbock assumes that the Kremlin wants to use the pipeline to avoid Ukraine and Poland as transit countries.
"That the German federal government has been shaking hands for years - despite criticism from numerous European neighbors and the EU Parliament - is bad enough," said the Green politician.
The fact that Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) is founding a foundation under public law in order to secure a strategic Kremlin project is "absolutely unacceptable."
Environmental and climate protectors also criticize the planned foundation.
Activists from "Fridays for Future" protested against the plans.
Deutsche Umwelthilfe wants to take legal action against the foundation of the foundation not only politically but also legally.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was also skeptical about the foundation of the foundation.
“It is a decision that was made in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
It is not a decision of the federal government, "said the SPD politician on Monday.
Icon: The mirror
beb / dpa
