Land of great potential: Habeck visits Algeria

Today, Economics Minister Habeck is traveling to Algeria, where a quarter of Europe’s natural gas comes from. There is also potential for renewable energies. But the human rights situation remains a problem.

It’s an interesting slip of the tongue: “Algeria verhas great potential,” said political scientist Rachid Ouaissa recently ARD. Ouaissa, who teaches at the University of Marburg, actually wanted to say that Africa’s largest country in terms of area has many untapped opportunities contains.

But there is always the impression that the regime in Algiers, an opaque structure made up of politicians, business people and, above all, the military, wants to hide something from the outside world.

Africa’s largest gas exporter

Ouaissa has been dealing with the Maghreb states for years. When he talks about potential, he means the country’s large energy reserves. No matter whether fossil or renewable: “The country can be very important for the energy transition in Germany and Europe,” says Ouaissa.

Algeria is Africa’s largest gas exporter. After the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Algiers offered more gas supplies, which was gratefully accepted in Europe. Southern European countries such as Portugal, Spain and Italy particularly benefited from this. However, the gas infrastructure is outdated.

So the possibilities for renewable energies remain, which seem almost unlimited for the country. The Federal Ministry of Economics estimates the potential of solar energy in Algeria to be one of the highest in the world. And green hydrogen is also an issue. In October, Algerian representatives formulated the goal of supplying ten percent of Europe’s needs in the future.

“Approach now possible”

Observers like Rachid Ouaissa hope that the transformation from a fossil fuel economy to a green economy will move the country forward. This is possible right now because President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, elected in 2019, has had one foreign policy failure after another.

There have been disputes with France and Spain for a long time, but Algeria’s geopolitical influence in particular is less than the claim that Algiers claims to have. You don’t play a special role in the Arab League and, unlike Saudi Arabia and Iran, you weren’t accepted into the BRICS association of states.

A rapprochement is now possible – and with it changes within Algeria, says Ouaissa. Robert Habeck can and should also address sensitive issues such as the human rights situation during his visit, if at the same time he can discuss issues such as export relief for Algerian industrial products on an equal footing. It sounds a lot like the old German formula “change through trade”. As is well known, this only reached its limits in Russia and China.

Deteriorated Human rights situation

The human rights situation has not improved after the nationwide Hirak protests, which prevented long-time ruler Abd Al-Aziz Bouteflika from running again in 2019, says human rights activist Said Salhi, who fled into exile in Belgium ARD. The hoped-for change did not take place. Instead, there has been a “really worrying” regression in terms of rights and freedoms.

According to Amnesty International, around 200 people are currently in prison in Algeria for political reasons. The state is unyielding. In addition to human rights activists, particularly critical journalists are being targeted, says Christopher Resch from Reporters Without Borders: “Journalists in Algeria are dealing with a political class that actively interferes in their work.”

Opportunities for a new German foreign policy

Journalists critical of the government were arrested several times, sometimes on absurd pretexts, as the non-governmental organization criticizes. For example, Ihsane El Kadi, who has been in custody since the end of last year. The reason: He supported organizations that threaten the state and security of Algeria. In reality, says Resch from Reporters Without Borders, the aim is to silence one of the last critical voices.

But it is precisely here that the political scientist Claus Leggewie sees an opportunity to spell out the new German foreign policy. Leggewie wrote in the “Tagesspiegel” that Habeck had to make it clear that German business delegations would come if Ihsane El Kadi and other political prisoners were released.