"No German will freeze in Greece": Will Germany soon need a lot of EU solidarity?
Created: 07/14/2022, 11:14 am
By: Stephanie Munk
Because of the crisis with Russia, there are fears that gas will become unaffordable.
Germany must hope for European solidarity, stresses Habeck.
The offer of asylum comes from Greece.
Athens/Munich – In the European debt crisis, Germany acted as a savior in need: Between 2010 and 2015, the Bundestag passed several aid packages for Greece worth billions – albeit with some stringent conditions.
In other European emergencies of the past decades, too, the Federal Republic acted more in the role of helper than of needy.
But in the current gas crisis, Germany is in an unfamiliar role – the country could soon be dependent on European solidarity itself.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) also emphasized this on Monday evening (July 11) in the ARD “Tagesthemen”: “We benefit from European solidarity.
We need supplies,” said Habeck.
"If we start in Europe now that everyone only takes care of themselves, then it will quickly become bitter for Germany in particular."
Germany in fear of unaffordable natural gas: Greece makes a special offer
Habeck meant gas supplies from other EU countries.
The topic could soon become explosive.
SPD parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch also emphasized the importance of European solidarity in an interview with
Merkur.de
on Tuesday.
But Greece is already sending a different kind of declaration of solidarity to Germany: Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias is offering the Germans a kind of asylum.
He called for people to spend the winter in his country, where it is far easier to get by without heating in winter than in Germany.
"For autumn and winter, it would be a great pleasure for us Greeks to welcome German pensioners who want to experience a 'Mediterranean winter' with Greek hospitality, mild weather and high-quality services," Kikilias told
Bild.
"We'll wait for you here," he added.
The mayor of the port city of Chania on the Greek island of Crete, Panagiotis Simandirakis, joined the call.
"We invite every German who wants to come to us this winter to live here - away from the crises," he
said
.
Crete is very suitable "to survive a crisis winter".
Here you don't need heating in the house.
"No German will freeze in Greece," was the mayor's conclusion.
A life far from the crises?
Greece has invited German pensioners to spend the winter in the south in view of the gas crisis.
Here a couple on the beach in Crete.
© IMAGO/A.
Goumenaki
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Germany must hope for EU solidarity - Habeck: "The all-important thing"
So should the STS song "Someday I'll stay there", which is about old age on the beach in Greece, come true?
All those who cannot or do not want to do this must hope for European solidarity in the form of gas supplies.
In the "Daily Issues" Habeck specified from which countries Germany is benefiting here: One is currently dependent on liquefied natural gas deliveries from the Netherlands, Belgium and France - "since we have not built our own LNG terminals - stupidly, one has to honestly say. "
One also benefits from Norwegian and Dutch gas supplies, according to Habeck.
Germany, on the other hand, has a modest role within the European solidarity structure when it comes to gas promote natural gas solidarity agreements.
He summed up: "European solidarity is all that matters in this situation."
Threatening gas shortages in Germany: what is Russia up to?
It is still unclear what extent the gas shortage will take in Europe.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which brings gas from Russia to Germany, is currently shut down for scheduled maintenance.
It is feared that Russian President Vladimir Putin will shut off the gas completely in response to the sanctions imposed on his country as a result of the Ukraine war.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently warned that Putin is deliberately using gas shortages - or even just the fear of them - as a weapon.
That is why the EU is currently working on a gas emergency plan.
"To ensure that in the event of a complete disruption in the gas supply from Russia, gas still arrives where it is needed most."
(smu/dpa)
