The government, headed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, lobbied for the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline by Russia.
Points of attention
- Under Merkel's leadership of Merkel, the German government actively promoted the lobbying and construction of Nord Stream - 2 with the participation of Russian companies.
- German ministries, such as the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Energy, actively supported the project, holding meetings with the heads of Gazprom and other companies.
- A catalogue of political support measures for Nord Stream-2 was agreed upon with the help of the federal chancellor's offices and other key persons.
- Support for the project has improved the financial situation of some companies, such as the pipe manufacturers for the German part of the pipeline.
- Investigations showed that during 2015, the German authorities actively assisted in the construction of Nord Stream-2 in the interests of Russia.
What is known about Merkel's involvement in lobbying for the construction of Nord Stream-2
According to the information concerning the investigation materials of the journalist Hans-Wilhelm Saure, in 2015, the Office of Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany under the leadership of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Ministry of Finance headed by Wolfgang Schäuble and the Ministry of Economy and Energy of Sigmar Gabriel agreed on a "catalogue of measures from the political support of "Nordic Stream - 2".
This became known after the administrative court of Berlin allowed the publication's journalist to access 57,000 pages of documents in support of "Nord Stream-2" by the German authorities.
Who precisely in Germany provided the most assistance to the construction of the Nord Stream-2
Hans-Wilhelm Zaure notes that the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Energy of Germany lobbied especially to construct the Russian gas pipeline.
In particular, representatives of these ministries met with Gerhard Schroeder, heads of Russian Gazprom and Nord Stream 2 AG.
In 2015, Gabriel held talks with Putin. At the same time, he convinced to approve the project of the EU country and the leadership of the community in Brussels. Gabriel personally called the head of the Federal Network Agency of the Federal Republic of Germany to approve the project.
The Europipe company, owned by the Salzgitter AG and Dillinger Hütte concerns, manufactured the pipes for the German part of the gas pipeline.
They are in the constituencies where Energy Ministers Gabriel and Peter Altmaier were elected to the Bundestag.
The order for pipes helped companies improve their financial situation, the authors of the article emphasise.
