Status: 05/17/2022 3:45 p.m
The board of directors of the controversial Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Climate Foundation headed by ex-Prime Minister Sellering is resigning and will resign at the end of September. This will enable the foundation to be dissolved as requested by the state parliament.
The board of directors of the controversial climate foundation Mecklenburg-Vorpommern led by ex-Prime Minister Erwin Sellering is resigning. After talks with the three-person committee, Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig announced that the foundation’s board of directors would all resign at the end of September.
Prior to this, the economic business operations of the foundation should be settled in an orderly manner. This step is intended to enable the dissolution of the foundation desired by the state parliament.
Schwesig informed about the planned resignation.
Foundation has been criticized since its inception
The foundation has been criticized since it was founded in January 2021 because, in addition to climate protection, its main purpose was to secure the completion of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea. Companies involved in the construction had been threatened by US sanctions. Nord Stream 2 AG paid 20 million euros into the foundation coffers.
Nord Stream 2 was completed with the support of the foundation. However, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has not received an operating license from the German authorities. Schwesig has been criticized for sticking to Nord Stream 2 for a long time. There are allegations that Russian forces have pulled the strings in important areas of the foundation. Schwesig played a key role in setting up the foundation in 2021.
The state government had demanded a dissolution
After the Russian attack on Ukraine, the state government and state parliament demanded the dissolution of the foundation. Sellering defended himself against this, citing a corresponding legal opinion. However, an expert report commissioned by the state government comes to the conclusion that the dissolution of the climate foundation is possible. Sellering reiterated today that he stands by his position.
According to the will of the CDU, Greens and FDP, a parliamentary committee of inquiry should also deal with the questionable business of the climate foundation. This is to be installed by the state parliament this week.