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Gerhard Schörder speaks at the presentation of a biography about Olaf Scholz last year in Hamburg
Photo: Christoph Soeder / dpa
Gerhard Schröder recently resigned from his position on the supervisory board of the Russian energy company Rosneft.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz is now calling on the former head of government and current lobbyist to stop further activities for companies from Russia.
"We note that it is now happening to one, and the others must follow," Scholz said on Saturday in Hildesheim on the sidelines of the SPD state delegate conference.
The Federal Chancellor stressed that Schröder stands alone with his attitude.
Rosneft announced on Friday that Schröder would not extend his term as head of the supervisory board.
Schröder is also nominated for the supervisory board of the Russian energy company Gazprom and works as a leading lobbyist for the Gazprom subsidiaries Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2.
The Gazprom general meeting is scheduled for June 30th.
In his only interview since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Schröder left the New York Times open as to whether he would accept the nomination for the supervisory board post.
Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) welcomed Schröder's move, but said it was too late.
There has been a war in Ukraine for three months.
Secretary General Kevin Kühnert made a similar statement.
The decision came "unfortunately much too late," said Kühnert of the "Rheinische Post".
According to Kühnert, the decision of the former SPD chancellor was "probably not entirely accidental" - obviously with a view to the pressure on Schröder from the federal government, the Bundestag and the EU Parliament.
In a resolution, the EU Parliament called for sanctions against the former Chancellor.
A large majority of MPs voted in favour.
However, Scholz spoke out against the sanctions demand.
asa/dpa
