Habeck's deal with Qatar failed: FDP puts pressure on Chancellor Scholz
Created: 2022-08-09 13:16
By: Andreas Schmid
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and his deputy Robert Habeck: What about the “great” cooperation with Qatar on liquefied natural gas?
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
Qatari gas for Germany?
The energy partnership announced by Vice Chancellor Habeck is faltering.
The FDP therefore takes Chancellor Scholz to task.
Berlin/Doha – Qatar instead of the Kremlin.
With this motto, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) made his way to Doha in mid-March.
In view of the Ukraine war, Russia's energy dependency should come to an end.
The solution seemed to have been found with the Qatari emir: the desert state should help out with liquid gas (also known as LNG).
The emirate is the world market leader in this area.
Habeck then announced an energy partnership.
"Magnificently," as the minister said.
Since then, however, nothing has happened.
Habeck's Qatar deal burst: So far no contracts with the emirate
More than four months after Habeck's visit, the deal stalled.
Apparently none of the German energy companies have so far signed a contract with suppliers from the Gulf State.
"The Qataris have decided not to make a good offer," Habeck explained last week on his summer tour.
Incidentally, the federal government itself does not conclude any contracts with supplier countries.
"The companies make the contracts," explains the Ministry of Economic Affairs when asked by our editors.
"You would have to ask the companies whether contracts were concluded here and what the conditions were and are." This means that Germany remains dependent on the Kremlin's taste for energy supply.
The FDP puts pressure on – and also takes on Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Traffic light coalition: The Scholz cabinet at a glance
View photo gallery
Qatar deal with liquid gas: FDP calls on Scholz to intervene
"The fact that Economics Minister Habeck's deal now seems to have burst is a major setback," said parliamentary group leader Carina Konrad of the German Press Agency.
It needs a new start at the highest level.
"Chancellor Scholz should now personally and at the highest level campaign for LNG deliveries from the Middle East, because the uncertainty of the population and industry is continuing to grow due to the impending worsening of the gas shortage."
Alternatives to Russia are urgently needed.
"Agreements with Qatar are certainly not our first choice, but in view of the current situation it would be difficult to do without them." As a reminder: Germany gets more than half of its natural gas from Russia, almost a third comes from Norway and a small part from the Netherlands.
also read
Fidel Ramos: Former President of the Philippines buried
War in Ukraine: Russia deploys air defenses around nuclear power plant under fire
Energy supply: Merkel defends Russia dependency
Former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) is also responsible for this situation.
Under her direction, Germany slid into dependence on Russia.
Merkel recently defended her policy, for example with a view to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea. "I did not believe in change through trade, but in connection through trade, with the second largest nuclear power in the world," Merkel told the
editorial network
Germany
.
Economic aspects also played a role.
"At the time, the German economy opted for pipeline gas transport from Russia because it was economically cheaper than liquid gas from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and later also from the USA." Economic interests seem to be present again at the moment.
(as)
