Schwesig in focus: Last witness in the Nord Stream 2 investigative committee!

Schwesig in focus: Last witness in the Nord Stream 2 investigative committee!

An exciting chapter in the Nord Stream drama is about to begin: Today, Manuela Schwesig, the Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, will be heard as the last witness in the committee of inquiry into the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline. This reports n-tv. Over the past two and a half years, the committee, which began work in June 2023, has heard from numerous witnesses and combed through thousands of files. The goal? To clarify the background to the pipeline construction and the founding of the controversial Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Climate Foundation.

Schwesig, who has been in office since July 2017, was regularly informed by Nord Stream 2 AG about the progress and challenges during construction. Planning for the pipeline began under her predecessor Erwin Sellering, who resigned due to cancer. This should be laid parallel to the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, which has been transporting gas to Europe since 2011.

Political backgrounds and controversies

The construction of Nord Stream 2 met with massive resistance, particularly from the USA and Eastern Europe, which threatened sanctions. Schwesig therefore had to think about how this political disruption could be avoided. She actively sought a conversation with Matthias Warnig, the then managing director of Nord Stream 2 AG. This gave rise to the idea of ​​a climate protection foundation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, which was approved by the Schwerin state parliament at the beginning of 2021. This foundation was intended to secure pipeline construction despite the threat of US sanctions daily news reported.

However, there are still uncertainties in the debate about the foundation. While the SPD emphasizes that the establishment was in the interests of the federal state, critics express concerns about the connections between the state government and Nord Stream 2 AG. Gerhard Bley from Transparency International speaks of a worrying closeness between the two. Historian Stefan Creuzberger also sees the work of the committee as essential for understanding German-Russian relations ndr reported.

The role of the committee and other witnesses

A total of 90 witnesses have been heard since the committee's work began, including high-ranking politicians such as former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Olaf Scholz. However, the latter was not invited, while the committee chairs control the proceedings behind the scenes. Sebastian Ehlers from the CDU, who chairs the committee, has already indicated that the CDU had approved the Climate Foundation.

The establishment of the foundation would result in an amount of over 160 million euros in orders. However, the opposition claims that little to no new jobs have been created and that the foundation remains controversial due to its support from the SPD and the Greens. Hannes Damm from the Greens has already publicly criticized Schwesig's contacts with Nord Stream 2 AG. His group is under pressure as he is expected to be expelled.

This is how the entire process takes a critical turn. It remains to be seen how Prime Minister Schwesig intends to refute the allegations and the politically charged course of the proceedings. The final chapter in this political narrative began today - and the tension is rising for everyone involved.