Latest news with #Schröder
New European
5 days ago
- Politics
- New European
Germansplaining: Does Gerhard Schröder really have burnout?
The 81-year-old former chancellor was due to appear before a parliamentary inquiry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern over his role in the Nord Stream 2 saga. But it doesn't look as if he will be grilled – respectfully – any time soon. Respect the elders, the saying goes – as old age usually brings wisdom and moral guidance. The bible even commands it: 'Honour the presence of an old man' (Leviticus 19:32). But what if the old man in question is Gerhard Schröder? Schröder has already cancelled his testimony twice, citing burnout. Let's rewind a bit. Nord Stream 2 – the twin pipeline to Nordstream 1, between Germany's Baltic Sea coast and Russia – was the £8.5bn project heavily criticised by Poland, the Baltics, Ukraine and the US (to name only a few). German, Austrian, French and Dutch-British companies cooperated to build it, but ownership was 100% Russky, via Gazprom. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine it never went into operation, and several mysterious explosions have since blown up one of the lines. It lies shattered at the bottom of the sea, a fancy playground for cod. There's more to it, though, which makes you think of a Banana- rather than a Bundesrepublik. Before 2022, the US had already slapped sanctions on companies involved, warning that Nordstream 2 would give the Kremlin dangerous leverage. Berlin didn't listen. And in the north-east, the SPD-CDU government of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – a beautiful but perennially broke bit of the country – was keen on a slice of the action. So, in a stroke of genius, a philanthropic climate foundation was set up. Yes, really. The 'Stiftung Klima- und Umweltschutz' was established in early 2021, when the pipeline was nearly complete, to help finish it. The trick was this: companies could work with the (commercial arm of the) foundation, conveniently outside the reach of US sanctions, not with Nord Stream 2 AG, aka Gazprom. The Klimastiftung was bankrolled almost entirely by Nord Stream, with the state chucking in just a few coins of the roughly £17m capital to make it look official. Now, the state parliament is trying to find out who came up with this clever little workaround and whether Russia influenced political decisions. Enter Schröder. Or rather – not. The ex-chancellor is still chair of Nord Stream 2's board, despite the pipeline being as useful as a chocolate teapot. He was invited to testify before the committee twice. Both times he bailed for mental health reasons. In a recent letter to the committee, he said it was by no means certain recovery could 'be achieved this year'. Until then, he should avoid stressful situations, 'especially those that last for more than an hour and during which not everyone involved can take my health situation into consideration'. Coincidentally, he seemed perfectly cheerful just last week when attending a parliamentary session in Hanover to watch the election of the new Ministerpräsident of Lower Saxony. While further north, in Schwerin, MPs are waiting in vain for the former chancellor's appearance. Well, Schröder has long been known for his subtle middle-finger attitude, which is why his letter also states that he, Schröder, was right all along. To be competitive, he wrote, Germany's industry needs cheap energy, and as renewables are still not reliably available 24/7 and nuclear is off the table, 'I am in favour of natural gas and a pipeline is more environmentally friendly than a tanker powered by heavy fuel oil that brings us LNG gas,' he writes. Mecklenburg's Green Party MPs are now demanding a medical certificate from a public health officer. As if someone who has no scruples and calls Vladimir Putin a friend would have trouble coming up with any attestation needed… But that isn't saying Schröder has no burnout. According to Bild, his bank – the Sparkasse Hannover – has blocked transfers suspected of being Russian, fearing US sanctions. Since mid-2024, he has allegedly missed out on around half a million euros. Nord Stream 2 had been paying him €200,000 every six months – for what, exactly, is anyone's guess – but now the money is sent back to Gazprombank in Luxembourg. Interestingly, last June, Hanover's Green Party mayor joined the Sparkasse board. He had wanted to strip Schröder of his honorary citizenship, but Gerhard beat him to it and handed it back himself. So here he is: snubbed at home, his Berlin office taken from him, unpaid by Moscow, with even the local savings bank giving him the cold shoulder. If that doesn't cause burnout, what does?
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Nord Stream saga shows German leaders' magical thinking and economical approach to the truth
Gerhard Schröder looked every bit the elder statesman, and in no way a political pariah, when he appeared this week in Lower Saxony's state parliament in Hanover . The 81-year-old ex-chancellor, lawyer and Russian energy lobbyist has been suffering from burnout, according to his doctor. But Tuesday's election of a new Lower Saxon state premier – a role Schröder filled for eight years until his election as chancellor in 1998 – was a special occasion worth rallying for. 'I'm still here,' joked a grinning Schröder. Where Schröder still isn't is at a parliamentary inquiry into the Nord Stream gas pipelines. READ MORE One of Schröder's final acts as chancellor was to green light Nord Stream 1, two 1,200km-long pipelines carrying Russian natural gas under the Baltic Sea. After leaving office Schröder, a close friend of Russian president Vladimir Putin , joined one of the pipeline consortium's supervisory boards. Since then the Hanover-based lawyer has doubled as a lobbyist for Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom. Though he has condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine , he has held back in his criticism of Putin and, as a result, many people actively avoid him. Not so in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the pipelines made land in Germany A state parliamentary committee extended an invitation to Schröder to explain his version of the Nord Stream drama. Its last act to date was a series of unexplained explosions in September 2022 that damaged three of the four undersea pipelines. Rather than answer questions in person, Schröder said in a letter leaked this week that he was too ill to attend the inquiry – at least until the end of the year. Instead of personal testimony he sent the parliamentary investigation a four-page written overview of why he 'was and remains positive' towards the gas pipelines. 'During my time as chancellor it was always clear to me that Germany is an industrial country lacking raw materials, whose prosperity can only be increased and maintained if it is, and remains, competitive on global markets,' he wrote. 'This was always rational and of benefit for Germany and these decisions did not become wrong through the terrible war in Ukraine.' The ex-chancellor signed off his letter by wishing the committee 'lots of success with its research into, and the free and fair assessment of, the historical truth'. While the inquiry has no powers to compel him to attend, several media investigations have exposed the magical thinking – and economical approach to the truth – that characterised many German political leaders' approach to Nord Stream. Government files released to the Süddeutsche Zeitung daily, for instance, show just how deeply Angela Merkel was involved in the geopolitics of – and EU lobbying for – the second, Nord Stream 2, project. This despite her mantrathat the pipeline – majority controlled by Gazprom with involvement of energy companies Shell, Eon and others – was a private, commercial endeavour. Files show how Merkel chancellery officials worked steadily and silently to smooth Nord Stream 2's political path, against considerable political opposition from the European Commission and Germany's eastern neighbours. Throughout the Nord Stream files, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, are handwritten remarks and questions by Merkel in green chancellor ink. The chancellery's interest in pursuing the project remained considerable and consistent even after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in March 2014. In July 2015, as Nord Stream 2 began to take shape, officials told Merkel the project 'is to be welcomed, from both a German and Europe perspective'. 'From a position of energy policy, Germany cannot afford to take a position against Nord Stream [2],' the officials wrote. Merkel was informed of – and apparently backed – efforts by German officials in Brussels to prevent greater involvement of the European Commission. The commission took a critical stance on the bilateral project after taking on board concerns of Poland and Ukraine. In particular they argued that all such pipelines gave Moscow even greater leverage to meets its western European energy contractual requirements while opening potential to use energy as a weapon by throttling deliveries in the east. Chancellery officials warned Merkel that it was crucial to quell growing dissent, but that being too obvious about it 'could be interpreted as intervention for Nord Stream' – with the real risk of political blowback for Merkel and her claim not to be involved. In a handwritten note from January 25th, 2018, she asked officials to 'put together the requested material' on finding allies to work together on tackling the commission. Rather than openly oppose the commission, chancellery officials decided on a strategy of 'critical questioning ... to avoid possible political damage from an early, public rejection'. Merkel was also involved in granting the state guarantee sought by the Nord Stream 2 consortium in 2018. Rather than appear to be handing Putin a multibillion gift in advance of talks, she backed a plan to postpone political assessment of the guarantee application until after their meeting. [ As NordStream operator fights legal action in Europe, speculation of US-Russian pipeline partnership grows Opens in new window ] Asked how her hands-on Nord Stream approach, indicated by the traces of green ink in the files, tallies with her hands-off narrative, Merkel's office replied that 'the files ... are in the chancellery, please direct your questions to the chancellery'.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German ex-chancellor Schröder present as Lower Saxony elects premier
Germany's former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who has since fallen from grace over his refusal to cut ties with Russia, was among the guests of honour in attendance as the northern state of Lower Saxony elected a new leader on Tuesday. Regional lawmakers were gathered in the state capital of Hanover to elect a successor to long-time premier Stephan Weil, with Olaf Lies from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) taking on the post. It was a rare public appearance for Schröder, who served as Lower Saxony's premier for the SPD from 1990 until he was elected German chancellor in 1998. The 81-year-old was hospitalized with "severe burnout" at the beginning of the year, leading him to drastically scale back his public engagements. While Schröder left office as chancellor some 20 years ago, he has had a busy - and highly controversial - career after politics. The politician, who also served as SPD chairman between 1999 and 2004, has faced intense criticism over his ties to Russia. He has worked for a number of Russian state-owned companies and has close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On leaving office after losing the 2005 elections, Schröder went on to take board memberships, including a a controversial post on the shareholders' committee for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline linking Germany to Russia. In January, Schröder cancelled an appearance before a committee in the parliament of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern investigating the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which the former chancellor promoted in office. Lies become premier of Lower Saxony The vote on Tuesday saw Olaf Lies - previously the state's economy minister - replace his colleague Stephan Weil as premier of Lower Saxony. Lies received a clear majority of 80 votes in the 146-seat state parliament and will govern an SPD-Green coalition ahead of state elections in 2027. The election is a personal triumph for Lies, who narrowly lost out to Weil in a party ballot in 2013. Lower Saxony is a stronghold for the SPD, with the state being home to party co-leader Lars Klingbeil - Germany's new vice chancellor and finance minister - as well as parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German ex-chancellor Schröder on rare public outing at state vote
Germany's former chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a Social Democrat who has since fallen out of favour over his refusal to cut ties with Russia, was among the guests of honour observing the election of a new leader in the northern state of Lower Saxony. Regional lawmakers were gathered in the state capital of Hanover to elect a successor to long-time state Premier Stephan Weil, with fellow Social Democrat Olaf Lies expected to take on the post. It is a rare public appearance for Schröder, who served as the state leader of Lower Saxony from 1990 until he was elected German chancellor in 1998. The 81-year-old was hospitalized with "severe burnout" at the beginning of the year, leading him to drastically scale back his public engagements. While Schröder left office as chancellor some 20 years ago, he has had a busy - and highly controversial - career after politics. The politician, who also served as the Social Democratic Party (SPD) chairman between 1999 and 2004, has faced intense criticism over his ties to Russia. He has worked for a number of Russian state-owned companies and has close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On leaving office after losing the 2005 elections, Schröder went on to take board memberships, including controversially for the shareholders' committee for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline linking Germany to Russia. In January, Schröder cancelled an appearance before a committee in the parliament of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern investigating the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which the former chancellor promoted in office. Premier Weil, who has been leading Lower Saxony in a caretaker capacity since midnight, appeared to be in a good mood when he arrived at the state parliament on Tuesday by bike, carrying his helmet.
Business Mayor
18-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
Why has the German economy gone from Europe's engine to its anchor?
The short explanation for Germany's current economic malaise is that it outsourced its security requirements to the US, its exports to China and its energy security to Russia, and now finds itself at the centre of a perfect storm. That's perhaps an oversimplification. In his book Kaput: The End of the German Miracle, Wolfgang Munchau claims the country's recent reversal has been brewing for decades and stems from several faulty assumptions about the global economy, corporate complacency and a chronic underinvestment in digital. In Munchau's view, crisis-stricken Volkswagen – which is laying off staff to cut costs having lost its way in the switch to electric motoring and whose corporate image remains tarnished by the 2015 dieselgate scandal – is emblematic. But the security, exports, energy explanation for Germany's stuttering economic performance (the economy hasn't grown in nearly three years) remains a reasonable starting point. Germany was uniquely exposed to the higher cost of gas on global markets triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 because of its overreliance on Russian energy. [ Kaput. The End of the German Miracle: Acerbic chronicle of a country's fall from grace ] This stems back to former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who drove the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, effectively deepening Germany's dependence on Russian gas. After exiting office, he controversially became chairman of Russian state-owned energy giant Rosneft. The New York Times recently ran an article about Schröder under the headline, 'The former chancellor who became Putin's man in Germany'. His successor Angela Merkel, in response to the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, further cemented Germany's reliance on Russian energy by phasing out the country's nuclear energy industry. The last nuclear power plants went offline in 2023. Both Schröder and Merkel, like many others in the West, made what now looks like a colossal error of judgment in believing greater trading ties would move Moscow in a more liberal direction. The high cost of energy (combined with the lack of an alternative) has crippled Germany's energy-intensive manufacturing base, pushing the country into a recession from which it has yet to emerge. At an earlier point in the globalisation process, Germany also bet the country's export future on China. Initially this paid off. Order books were filled twice over as German industry supplied cars, machine tools and engineering expertise to the fast-growing Chinese economy. Strong export demand from China cushioned the German economy during the financial crisis when the rest of Europe stagnated. But now German car manufacturers find themselves outstripped by Chinese competitors such as BYD, while German companies complain about Chinese market access restrictions and policies that favour home-grown firms. Germany is the main reason why the EU runs a large trade surplus (in goods) with the US (the source of so much ire in Washington) but conversely it has a large trade deficit (€59 billion in 2023) with China and now finds itself caught in the middle of a tense geopolitical standoff between the US and China. The third leg of this increasingly faulty economic stool comes courtesy of the current White House incumbent and his attempt to rewire the postwar global order. Donald Trump's cosying up to Moscow, his laying the blame for Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Kyiv itself and his condemnation of federalist institutions like the EU (he claims the bloc was set up to screw the US) have challenged the liberal orthodoxy and the assumption that Washington will underwrite Europe's security. Read More Chilly's seeks younger audience in first VCCP campaign Even if a future US administration rows back on this, the fact that a US president of any hue could arrive at this point has sent shock waves through European capitals. Newly installed German chancellor Friedrich Merz said last week his government's top priority was to transform the nation's armed forces into Europe's strongest conventional army to help counter the rising threat from Russia. [ Merz vows to build the strongest army in Europe and revitalise Germany's fortunes ] 'Our friends and partners also expect this from us, indeed, they practically demand it,' he said in his inaugural address to parliament in Berlin. Merz pledged that his government 'will provide all the financial resources the Bundeswehr [Germany's armed forces] needs,' which he said was 'appropriate for Europe's most populous and economically strongest country.' Even before taking office, he moved to ensure that Germany can reverse years of underinvestment, passing legislation to remove the so-called debt brake, allowing for additional defence spending and a €500 billion infrastructure package, powering through Germany's long-standing cultural aversion to deficit spending. He vowed to revamp Germany's struggling economy by reforming the country's outmoded bureaucracy while incentivising investment and entrepreneurship. Like Ireland, trade is a key element of the German economy and the current uncertainty surrounding Trump's on-off tariff policies weighs heavily on the outlook. The flagging German economy also appears to be driving a historic shift in the political landscape. Last year the Alternative for Germany party became the first far-right party to win a state election in the country since 1949. The party went on to double its vote share in this year's general election. Whether Germany's current downturn is indicative of a long-term trend is now a central question. Münchau believes it is. 'The German supercycle is ending; that of the US is still going strong,' he says.
