Enlarge image
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
Gerhard Schröder says he has rejected a nomination for Gazprom's supervisory board.
The former chancellor announced this on LinkedIn on Tuesday evening.
The cancellation happened a long time ago.
He was surprised at reports to the contrary.
Earlier there had been confusion over a report by the Reuters news agency that Schröder had been nominated for Gazprom's board of directors.
In fact, the group nominated only one other candidate on Tuesday.
Many media picked up the original report, including DER SPIEGEL (you can find the updated version here).
The Gazprom general meeting is scheduled for June 30, when the members of the supervisory board will also be confirmed.
Schröder has been criticized for his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Under the impact of the Ukraine war, the pressure on the former SPD chancellor had increased.
The Bundestag has canceled his office and employees.
The EU Parliament is calling for sanctions against him.
He is also a burden for the SPD.
On June 15, the arbitration commission in the SPD sub-district of Hanover is to discuss whether the former chancellor should be thrown out of the SPD.
Schröder announced last week that he wanted to leave the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft.
He announced that it was impossible for him to extend his mandate on the body.
Scholz urged withdrawal from Russian gas companies
So far, Schröder has worked as a leading lobbyist for the Gazprom subsidiaries Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2, among others.
Most recently, even Chancellor Olaf Scholz had urged Schröder to stop all activities for Russian state companies.
"We note that it is now happening to one, and the others must follow," said Scholz after the announcement of Schröder's Rosneft withdrawal.
more on the subject
Schröder, Weil and Co.: The Russia connection of the top comrades from Lower Saxony by Hubert Gude
Gerhard Schröder: Rescue through retreat?
Schröder's decision could also have an impact on the party exclusion process.
The organizational statutes of the SPD show that Schröder must have intentionally violated the statutes, principles or rules of the party - and the party must have suffered serious damage as a result.
In the end, the party exclusion is a matter of weighing up.
(Read more here.)
slu
