A fuel lobby attended the FDP party conference and made a donation of 50,000 euros.
The FDP opposes the discontinuation of internal combustion engines and instead advocates for e-fuels. The Bundesverband EnergieMittelstand is on the same page. They were present at the Liberal party gathering with a stall. The lobby organization later donated 50,000 euros to the party, although the party stresses that there was no correlation.
The FDP received a significant donation from the German fuel lobby. On May 3rd, "Uniti - Bundesverband EnergieMittelstand" sent 50,000 euros to the party through a subsidiary.
Before the donation, the lobby organization was given the opportunity to voice its views at the FDP federal party meeting in Berlin. One of their campaigns, aiming to prevent the phasing out of combustion engines, was also displayed. Uniti was represented at the party gathering with an information booth, which was also visited by Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Transport Minister Volker Wissing.
In images shared by the association on its website, the FDP ministers are seen posing with advertising posters from the organization, which read "Stop the ban on combustion engines! Allow e-fuels to roam free!"
FDP Says They're Not Up for Sale
When asked by "The Mirror" about any relation between the generous donation and the PR photographs, a Uniti spokesperson insisted there was none. Uniti "routinely provides information about its viewpoints at the conferences of various parties," they said. Politically, the group wants "technological openness in the decarbonization of transport" and "the creation of suitable regulatory conditions for the market expansion of renewable fuels." The FDP has held the same long-standing view.
The party also denounced any influence the large donation from fuel lobbyists had on their policies. The FDP's "positions are not for sale," they emphasized, "as they're created in the party's committees and have been discussed and decided at the federal party meeting." Specifically, the FDP supports "the approach that technological openness is most beneficial to the environment as it allows innovation to reduce carbon emissions to take effect." This is why they've been "in favor of using synthetic fuels" and "against the elimination of combustion engines."
A Uniti spokesperson initially couldn't say how much the lobby group paid for the information stall at the FDP party event. The FDP didn't answer a query from "The Mirror."
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The fuel lobby organization Uniti, a part of Bundesverband EnergieMittelstand, advocates for e-fuels and opposes the phasing out of combustion engines, aligning with the FDP's stance. During the FDP party conference, Uniti donated 50,000 euros to the party, emphasizing that there was no correlation between the donation and their political stance. Christian Lindner and Volker Wissing, both FDP ministers, visited Uniti's information booth at the conference.
Source: www.ntv.de
