Baerbock criticizes harm done to her reputation by the chancellor's office.
Recently, the latest EU sanctions against Russia are in danger of collapsing due to internal disputes within the German government. This has led to tensions between the Federal Government. Foreign Minister Baerbock is accusing the Chancellery of undermining the credibility of Berlin's policy towards Russia.
Within the Federal Government, the stance on the proposed new EU sanctions for Russia is causing friction. As per reports from the German Press Agency, the Foreign Office views the Chancellery's objections to the sanctions package as troublesome and damaging. The reason being that Germany has been at odds with other European countries on this matter. The Foreign Office expressed before the EU talks scheduled for Friday, that the tireless efforts of Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock over the last two years to rebuild trust with the European partners in the wake of the old Russia policy shouldn't be undermined by the SPD-led Chancellery.
Earlier, it emerged that the German representative to the EU didn't have approval from Berlin to endorse the upcoming EU sanctions package. According to diplomats in Brussels, Germany's concerns and requirements were a significant factor causing the delay in reaching an agreement. An EU official informed dpa that it seemed as if Germany was the new Hungary, referring to the past instances where the Budapest government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, had avoided decisions on Russia sanctions.
Targeting evasion of sanctions
The original plan was to reach a consensus on the new sanctions package before the onset of the G7 summit of the leading democratic industrial countries on Thursday. Chancellor Olaf Scholz also participated in the meeting. The earliest a political agreement in Brussels can be reached now is this Friday.
The main aim of the proposed new EU penalties is to counter evasion of sanctions. This includes, for instance, the continued use of Western technology by Russia's arms industry to construct weapons for the war in Ukraine. It also plans to impose severe sanctions on Russia's billion-dollar LNG (liquefied natural gas) businesses for the first time. The German objections to these measures primarily focus on making it more difficult to evade EU sanctions. The EU diplomats state that the German government has demanded that companies aren't responsible for ensuring their business partners adhere to EU sanctions rules.
Standing Alone
The Foreign Office acknowledged that the concerns cannot be completely dismissed. However, it must be recognized that the majority of other EU states don't consider these issues unreasonable.
A representative for the German mission to the EU refused to comment on the ongoing negotiations on Thursday when asked by dpa. They cited the secrecy surrounding the member states' consultations.
Read also:
- Amidst these internal disputes, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been requested to clarify Germany's stance on the proposed EU sanctions against Russia, given the concerns about evasion of sanctions.
- Annalena Baerbock, the Green Foreign Minister, has emphasized the importance of standing united with EU partners, stating that the proposed EU sanctions are essential in countering Russia's attacks on Ukraine and should not be undermined by internal disagreements within the German government.
- In light of these disagreements, some EU officials have expressed concern that Germany's stance could potentially isolate it from its European allies, much like how Hungary has been perceived in the past for avoiding decisions on Russia sanctions.
