Gas line - Federal government disputes over Nord Stream 2's U-committee discussions.
A group of people are urging for a federal investigation committee to be formed in order to examine the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. One of them, the deputy chair of the Green state parliamentary group in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hannes Damm, stated, "We really need a federal parliamentary committee to look into this. We must thoroughly understand the extent of Russian influence and the poor decisions made by the federal government regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline." This call for a committee came in response to the concern that Germany has been made dangerously dependent on Russia.
The Green party initially suggested establishing such a committee in October 2022, but it has yet to happen. The secretary general of the CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Philipp Amthor, mentioned that the CDU would not reject such discussions. While it remains unlikely that this project would be led by the Greens and the SPD working together, he added, "The same SPD that always opposes the Schwerin parliamentary committee on the 'climate foundation' when it occurs, won't cheerfully celebrate this in Berlin."
The FDP parliamentary group leader, René Domke, reminded everyone that he had already emphasized at the time of forming the parliamentary committee in 2022 that the investigation wouldn't be limited to state borders. "It was well-known that the Bundeskanzleramt and federal ministries contributed to becoming increasingly one-sidedly dependent and ignoring warnings from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia," he emphasized. The relationship between Russia and energy infrastructure, as well as government action, requires full clarity.
Irene Mihalic, the first parliamentary manager of the Greens in the German Bundestag, echoed these sentiments earlier, expressing that there are many unanswered questions concerning political responsibility for the wrong decisions. "It's important to investigate these issues," she stated. Her Green colleague, Felix Banaszak, agreed, calling for a federal committee. "We need to fully understand these unresolved issues and access all necessary documents, as well as question those responsible," he told the 'Sueddeutsche Zeitung.'
The purpose of Nord Stream 2 was to transport gas from Russia, Germany's main supplier, across the Baltic Sea into the country. The traffic light coalitional government halted the project after Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government had been actively pushing for its completion through the Climate Foundation, which had a financial stake in it. This issue is being investigated by a special committee in the state parliament.
