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Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU) on "Anne Will" in May
Photo: Wolfgang Borrs / dpa
The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter calls for better protection of the critical infrastructure under water.
"We have to take great care to protect the infrastructure," said Kiesewetter in the ARD "Morgenmagazin".
This means, among other things, new tasks for the Navy.
It is also about creating awareness among the population of “how vulnerable we are”.
According to Kiesewetter, international agreements are important when it comes to protecting the infrastructure at sea.
In this context, the communication lines to North America and Scandinavia should also be considered.
Kiesewetter held Russia responsible for the alleged sabotage - Russia, on the other hand, sees itself as a victim.
Kiesewetter is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Bundestag and of the Parliamentary Control Committee, which controls the federal intelligence services.
The protection of critical infrastructure is being discussed against the background of the gas leaks in the Baltic Sea.
On the night of Monday, a sharp drop in pressure was initially detected in one of the two tubes of the unused Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Later, the Nord Stream 1 operator reported a drop in pressure in these two tubes as well.
Authorities finally discovered a total of four leaks on the two pipelines.
The EU and NATO assume sabotage.
Recently, none of the four tubes was in operation.
Ischinger calls for more extensive monitoring of the infrastructure
The former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, warned against prejudice in the search for those responsible for the damage to the pipelines.
"The only current compelling conclusion is this: there is war in Europe," he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
The entire infrastructure must be protected and monitored more comprehensively.
Jacopo Pepe, an expert on energy supply security at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, called for “stronger military protection of our critical infrastructure and energy supply chains”.
Above all, maritime protection must be expanded, Pepe told the "Tagesspiegel".
In the future, not only pipelines but also liquid gas terminals and routes for the liquid gas would have to be monitored.
»Here I see a challenge for the Bundeswehr within NATO«.
EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson had previously described the alleged sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 Baltic Sea pipelines as a warning call and announced reactions: »We (
the EU Commission
) will now contact all member states and we will carry out a stress test in Regarding the critical infrastructure," said the Swede in the ZDF "heute journal".
In view of the leaks in the pipelines, she spoke of an "attack" that was an "escalation" and "a threat".
"As far as I can tell, it's a very intelligent attack that couldn't have been carried out by a normal group of people," the inspector said.
The risk is great that a state is behind it.
“Of course we have our suspicions.
But it's too early to make a final judgement."
Norway wants to strengthen safety precautions at oil facilities
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had announced a "robust and united response" by the EU to "deliberate disruptions" to European infrastructure.
"Further steps will be taken to increase the resilience of our energy security".
Norway said it intends to strengthen security at its oil facilities.
The country is also responding to drones that oil companies recently spotted around their platforms in Norwegian waters.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior explained to secure the infrastructure in Germany that the measures would always be adapted to the situation, also against the background of the current situation.
An "abstract risk situation" for the critical infrastructure can always be assumed, not just after the current incident.
"The protection of our critical infrastructure has the highest priority," said Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD).
The security authorities are very vigilant.
»We have to prepare for scenarios that were hardly conceivable until recently.«
Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht had announced that the Navy would be involved in clarifying the incidents.
The incident shows that Germany is dependent on critical infrastructure, including under water, said Lambrecht.
"The damage to the pipelines also shows us how important a strong navy within an efficient Bundeswehr is for the security of our country and that of our allies."
kko/dpa
