Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wants to leave the supervisory board of the Russian oil company Rosneft. The company announced this. Schröder is heavily criticized for his involvement in Russia.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wants to leave the board of directors of the Russian oil company Rosneft. Schröder, who is head of the Rosneft supervisory board, announced that it was impossible for him to extend his mandate on the board, the group said on Friday. No details or reasons were given. The German businessman Matthias Warnig is leaving the supervisory board with Schröder.
The 78-year-old Schröder, a longtime friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has recently been under massive pressure in the face of demands in Germany that he no longer works as an oil and gas lobbyist for Russia because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. The SPD politician also holds management positions in the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 pipeline projects – both natural gas pipelines through the Baltic Sea connecting Russia and Germany. The pending commissioning of Nord Stream 2 has now been put on hold by the federal government. Warnig is the head of the Nord Stream 2 operating company.
Gerhard Schröder has the withdrawal of privileges legally examined
It is currently unclear whether Schröder is reacting to the pressure not only in Germany with this step. On Thursday, the EU Parliament voted by a large majority in favor of sanctions against the former chancellor should he not give up his involvement with Russian energy companies. The Budget Committee of the Bundestag also decided on Thursday to remove the SPD politician’s office as a former head of government. On the other hand, Schröder may want to take legal action, as the “Spiegel” reports.
The lawyer Michael Nagel confirmed the report on Friday in Hanover. “I ask for your understanding that further questions will not be answered at this point in time,” said the lawyer of the German Press Agency. Nagel had already defended Christian Wulff in the process of taking advantage, and the ex-Federal President was acquitted in early 2014.
On Thursday, the budget committee in Berlin voted to close the former chancellor’s office. The approval of a corresponding application by the traffic light coalition is the culmination of the ostracism of the former SPD leader because of his ongoing ties to Russia. For legal reasons, however, Schröder’s relations with Russia and Putin were not used to justify the deletion of the office. Rather, according to the traffic light application, financial support is made dependent on whether former top politicians actually still take on tasks. This should also apply to future chancellors. It was said that Schröder no longer accepted any obligations from his time as Federal Chancellor.
Last year, more than 400,000 euros flowed from the state coffers for personnel expenses in Schröder’s office. According to the decision, the former chancellor is still entitled to a pension and personal protection. Gerhard Schröder himself initially did not comment on the matter.
