Is Germany facing a Nord Stream 2 reckoning over Merkel's errors?
In Germany, there are calls to establish an investigative committee in the Bundestag to address the Nord Stream 2 pipeline issue. "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" reports that support for this project was one of the biggest mistakes in German foreign policy and calls for the establishment of a committee. Similar demands are coming from the opposition.
"Did Angela Merkel, while leading the federal government, ignore warnings that Germany was becoming unilaterally dependent on Russia for energy supplies? What was Merkel's specific role in relation to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline? The Greens and the Left party are appealing to the ruling CDU, CSU, and SPD parties to allow a comprehensive parliamentary investigation into these matters," writes "Spiegel" on Monday.
Green Party member Irene Mihalic, in an interview with "Spiegel," emphasized that the role of Merkel and her government in the context of Nord Stream 2 requires full clarification. She highlighted the need to understand to what extent the German government consciously led the country to unilateral dependence on Russian gas, which has serious consequences today.
The leader of the Left party, Jan van Aken, also in an interview with "Spiegel," stated that Germany's dependence on Russian gas requires urgent clarification in parliament. Van Aken supports the establishment of an investigative committee, noting that he does not want cooperation with the AfD but is counting on support from MPs within the SPD and CDU who are interested in explanations.
The Greens and the Left do not have enough votes to establish an investigative committee. Both parties strongly rule out collaboration with the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) in this and other matters, as noted by "Spiegel."
Revealing documents on Nord Stream 2 and pointing out Merkel's mistakes
Behind these calls is the publication by "Sueddeutsche Zeitung," which reveals that the Chancellery was aware of warnings about Germany's significant dependency on Russian gas but took no action. The documents show that Angela Merkel approved the sale of German gas storage facilities to Gazprom in September 2015, despite internal warnings.
No matter how often she was asked about Nord Stream 2, Angela Merkel "always maintained that she had nothing to blame herself for. However, the files from the Chancellery now revealed by SZ prove otherwise. Merkel made three mistakes, and the fact that she denies this to this day is probably the fourth. In any case, support for Nord Stream 2 was not only a mistake by the Russia-friendly SPD but also the long-time CDU leader and chancellor—and one of the biggest blunders in foreign policy in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany," emphasizes the commentary by "Sueddeutsche Zeitung."
The first mistake was Merkel's belief that favorable agreements would tame Putin. She overestimated her capabilities and Germany's significance while underestimating Putin's willingness to sacrifice business relations for imperial goals.
The second mistake was ignoring warnings from Eastern European neighbors. Poland, Ukraine, and the Baltic countries warned against increasing dependency on Russian gas, but the Chancellery assumed that calming the neighbors would be sufficient.
The third mistake, according to SZ, was the determination of Merkel and her advisors to present themselves as neutral on Nord Stream 2. If the German government were truly neutral, it would have left the regulation of gas agreements with Russia to the European Commission. Instead, it fought against interference from Brussels. It was only the threat of sanctions from the USA that prompted the Chancellery to rediscover a European identity and hope for Brussels' support against Washington.
Sanctions on Nord Stream
Nord Stream 2 was intended to deliver gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea, but the project was halted after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by the SPD, Greens, and FDP coalition.
The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, assessed that Vladimir Putin's absence during negotiations in Istanbul shows his lack of willingness for peace. She announced that the EU would impose the 18th package of sanctions, which will target Nord Stream 1 and 2 and the Russian financial sector.
The German government's spokesman, Stefan Kornelius, assured that the government supports EU sanctions against Nord Stream. He emphasized that US support for a potential sanctions package is also crucial.
