pipeline
Nord Stream Foundation in MV without backing from Berlin
According to his own statement, the former Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU, l) had concerns about the establishment of the controversial Climate Foundation MV, but he only expressed them in conversation with representatives of the state government, not publicly. Photo: Odd Andersen/AFP-POOL/dpa
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The establishment of the foundation for the completion of the Baltic gas pipeline was controversial. The Minister for Economic Affairs at the time had expressed concerns. No obstacle for the state government.
The state government in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania pushed ahead with the establishment of the controversial climate foundation independently of the backing of the federal government.
Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) had already stated that the federal government at the time was informed about the foundation. It was only about information, not about obtaining approval, as the government spokesman clarified again on Sunday: “The decision lay with the state government and state parliament in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.”
The then Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU) reported to the German Press Agency that before the state parliament decision he had been consulted in separate talks by his then state colleague Harry Glawe (CDU) and the then Schwerin energy minister and today’s interior minister Christian level (SPD) – with the result that «at the time I had reservations about the project».
To circumvent sanctions?
The climate protection foundation was already controversial back then and has been even more so since the Russian attack on Ukraine, because it was intended to help circumvent US sanctions against the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia through the Baltic Sea to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Companies in the country involved in the construction should be shielded from the consequences by the foundation and the completion ensured.
Altmaier’s account coincides with that of Glawes, who reported to “Welt am Sonntag” that he was commissioned by the state cabinet to speak to Altmaier. He passed on the concerns expressed by him to the State Chancellery. However, the vote in the state parliament sought by the state government was not stopped or postponed for this reason. As a result, the foundation was approved by a clear majority of the state parliament made up of SPD, CDU and leftists.
The State Chancellery in Schwerin also emphasized the unity of the then red-black state government. With a view to the decision in the state parliament on the following day, Glawe explained: “SPD and CDU have submitted an application for tomorrow to deal with this foundation. Both factions are fully behind this project.”
No deception when founding
According to the members of the state parliament in the State Chancellery in Schwerin, the double function of the foundation – which is not only explosive in terms of energy, but above all in terms of foreign policy – was aware: “There was no deception of the state parliament when the foundation was established.” The two goals of establishing the foundation – climate protection on the one hand and support for the pipeline on the other – were always clearly communicated to the members of parliament. “All MPs knew what they voted on,” it said on Friday.
Altmaier justified his public silence at the time with consideration for the state parliament. “After thorough consideration, I refrained from publicly criticizing the project because, formally, it was ultimately a decision of the parliament of a federal state within the scope of its competence, which should not be publicly criticized by the federal government, out of respect for the Federal-state relationship,” he said.
After the start of the Russian war of aggression, the federal government stopped the commissioning of the pipeline, which had meanwhile been completed. Schwesig described her support for the project and the foundation as a mistake, and the state parliament decided to dissolve it. However, whether this is legally possible is still a matter of debate. The chairman of the climate foundation, Schwesig’s predecessor Erwin Sellering (SPD), considers this impossible.
At the weekend, the “WamS” also raised the question of whether the main file for founding the foundation was lost when the Ministry of Energy was dissolved after the 2021 state elections. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior said on Saturday in Schwerin: “The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Economic Affairs agree that the documents for establishing the climate protection foundation have been handed over to the energy department.”