Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has long been criticized for his contacts in Russia. Since the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, the call for consequences has become louder and louder.
A large majority of the European Parliament voted in favor of EU sanctions against ex-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. The reason for this is the ongoing activity of the SPD politician for Russian state companies such as the energy company Rosneft, as emerges from a resolution adopted in Brussels.
Parliament’s step is likely to increase the pressure on the responsible EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Foreign Affairs Commissioner, Josep Borrell, to submit a proposal for Schröder’s inclusion on the EU sanctions list. If this is then accepted, Schröder’s existing assets in the EU could be frozen.
No distancing
Schröder was Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. He then took on tasks for the pipeline company Nord Stream, Russia’s Gazprom and the energy company Rosneft, among others. Because he did not distance himself from this after the start of the Russian war against Ukraine, the SPD leadership asked him to leave the party. There are also motions for expulsion from the party.
The traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP also wants to cut the 78-year-old’s office and employees. The Budget Committee of the Bundestag probably wanted to vote on Thursday.
In the text of the European Parliament, the EU states are now asked to “extend the list of people against whom EU sanctions have been imposed to European members of the governing bodies of large Russian companies and to politicians who continue to receive money from Russia ».
Parliament named former EU heads of government such as Wolfgang Bowl (Austria) and François Fillon (France), who recently resigned from their posts at Russian companies. They demand “emphatically that other politicians, such as Karin Kneissl and Gerhard Schröder, do the same”. Kneissl is a non-party former foreign minister of Austria and a member of the Rosneft supervisory board.
