"Secure energy for Germany and Europe - today and tomorrow," promised the gas importer Uniper in an April commercial.
By then, Russia had already attacked Ukraine.
What had worked well for many years has now become a problem: Uniper procured large quantities of cheap gas from Russia and resold it in Germany at a surcharge.
A lucrative business.
The shareholders could look forward to distributions.
In the crisis, Uniper now needs billions from the state.
Only in the form of credit lines.
Now the federal government is taking over the ailing company itself. That's how important Uniper is for the energy supply in Germany.
The costs of the rescue operation are immense - and unlike the rescue of Lufthansa in the corona crisis, SPIEGEL editor Claus Hecking does not expect a late blessing for the state in the Uniper case.
You can hear what the Uniper rescue is all about in the podcast.
About this podcast
SPIEGEL Daily appears every morning on SPIEGEL+ and on Audible.
As a subscriber to SPIEGEL+, you can hear the latest episodes from 6 a.m. on weekdays.
We're also rounding up the best moments from past episodes for the weekend.
Listen to this episode with our audio player at the top of the article.
All episodes of this podcast that have already been released can also be found on Audible.
Continue reading with SPIEGEL+
Read on now.
With the right SPIEGEL subscription.
Special reports, analyzes and background information on topics that move our society - by reporters from all over the world.
Test now.
All articles freely accessible on SPIEGEL.de.
DER SPIEGEL as an e-paper and in the app.
Test one month for €1.
One month for €1
Try it now for €1
Already have a digital subscription?Sign up here
Read more with SPIEGEL+
More perspectives, understand more.
Free access to all articles, videos, audio content and podcasts
All articles freely accessible on SPIEGEL.de
DER SPIEGEL as an e-paper and in the app
DER SPIEGEL to listen to and the weekday podcast SPIEGEL Daily
Only €19.99 per month, cancellable at any time
Buy now
Already have a digital subscription?Sign up here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL+ is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with the purchase confirmation.
24 hours before expiry, the subscription is automatically extended by one month at the current price of €19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in your iTunes account settings.
To use SPIEGEL+ outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
By purchasing you accept our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.
