The waters of Nord Stream 2

The Prime Minister of the State of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, Manuela Svezig, has been sharply criticized for her pro-Russian stance and controversial Nord Stream 2 AG dealings.

He was one of the rising leaders of the Social Democrats in the field of federal politics, at least until recently. Manuela Svezig, 42, served as Minister of Family Affairs in Chancellor Merkel’s second government (2013-2017). He has since been prime minister of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, as well as head of the local Social Democrats. Her breast cancer forced her to temporarily retire for health reasons, but she soon returned to her post.

But beyond her promising political profile, there is a “dark” page in her resume. The unconditional support of the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream 2, for which the German state has always played a key role, due to its geographical location – but also the pro-Russian stance of the Social Democrats led by Manuela Svez. The success of the controversial pipeline had even been reduced to a personal bet by Svezig, a grand project that brought money and jobs to the state.

The controversial environmental institution

Things changed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and for Manuela Svezig, who was forced to declare that her support for Nord Stream 2 was wrong, publicly reviewing her policy. However, these statements were not enough for her critics. Revelations in recent weeks have again sparked close contacts between the state’s political leadership and Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom – in which former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder held key positions.

Unknown aspects of a shadowy Foundation for Climate and Environment, set up by the state government under the Prime Minister of Svezig and which seems to be funded through opaque procedures with controversial donations of 20 million from the Stream 2 consortium, have come to light. AG.

In turn, the institution in question is said to have assisted in 2021 in the completion of projects for the Baltic Pipeline, which, however, froze after the start of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine. According to reports, the Foundation for Climate and Environment seems to have had a significant influence on the local political scene, and it is noteworthy that it did not cease to operate after the invasion of Ukraine, despite the fact that pipeline-related activities had frozen.

Intense pressure but she does not give up

It is also a fact that Manuela Svezig has been under pressure for a long time, with the opposition and members of the government in Berlin demanding answers or even her resignation. “If the reports are true, that is, that Russian companies had more or less unimpeded access to local government and that because of them the state was deprived of taxes, then Ms. Svezig will not be able to stand it,” said Friedrich Mertz, leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU). .

And Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the German parliament’s European Affairs Committee from the Greens, considers the criticism of Manuela Svezig “justified”, calling it “catastrophic” that even after the Russian invasion the state government continued to promote of that institution.

At the moment, however, Manuela Svezig is not resigning. “With the current knowledge, the pipeline support was wrong,” he told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. He emphasized that the decision to support Nord Stream 2 had been taken lightly in the past by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, prompting both the relevant ministers and the local prime minister to make the necessary contacts. As for the establishment of the institution in question, she emphasizes that it was done with the votes of the Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Left.

Dimitra Kyranoudi, Berlin

Source: Deutsche Welle