Aid negotiations for PCK continue
The federal government's negotiations with the EU Commission regarding aid for the expansion of the oil pipeline from Rostock to Schwedt are continuing despite the Federal Constitutional Court's budget ruling. This was emphasized by the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics, Michael Kellner (Greens) on Wednesday in Cottbus. "As far as the pipeline is concerned, we are in very intensive talks with Brussels". It is clear what significance the expansion has, but the talks in Brussels are not easy. "We are pushing as hard as we can," Kellner promised.
The background to this is that after the phase-out of Russian oil at the beginning of the year, the refinery has had to be further adapted to other crude oils. With some delay, PCK submitted an application to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in July of this year for a federal subsidy of 400 million euros to upgrade the pipeline from Rostock to Schwedt. However, the EU has yet to approve the aid for the private company.
Kellner did not give a specific date for approval on Wednesday. PCK Managing Director Ralf Schairer hopes that the EU Commission will approve the subsidy application by Christmas.
Following a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court, there is a large gap in the federal government's finances. The court had declared a reallocation of corona loans of 60 billion euros from the 2021 budget to the Climate and Transformation Fund null and void.
Despite the challenges in securing aid for the oil pipeline expansion due to EU approvals and conflicting budget concerns, Kellner emphasized the importance of continued negotiations. The potential impact of oil conflicts on energy supply further highlights the urgency of finding a solution.
Source: www.dpa.com
