“Senseless Sanctions”
Tino Khrupalla thinks Germany’s sanctions policy is “meaningless”, it is sure to hurt Germany more than Russia. Therefore, the politician called for “to put an end to this”. The AfD leader also believes that commissioning Nord Stream 2 should not be a taboo.
“(Germany’s) goal should be to alleviate the burden on citizens and businesses as quickly as possible by drastically reducing taxes on energy, purchases and income taxes. This is the only way to prevent an energy and social disaster in the fall, ”said Frei Welt, quoted by Khrupalla.
In his speech to the Bundestag, he also denounced the government’s gas distribution plan, which should come into effect on 1 October. To support gas importers, a surcharge will be charged to gas consumers in Germany from this October to 2024, which could add triple-digit annual costs for a four-person household. This is expected to enable gas supplier companies to continue their operations without fear of bankruptcy due to high purchase prices.
“The government is gradually revealing to the citizens the dramatic consequences of its deadly political decisions. “It is unacceptable for consumers to impose additional costs on gas companies that they now have to pay for the short-term and costly exchange of Russian gas,” said the head of the FDA.
In addition to rising gas prices, the Vice-Chancellor noted that, as German Economy Minister Robert Habeck acknowledged, additional costs, which can amount to 1,000 euros a year, are “no longer affordable for many private households”. Khrupalla stressed that “numerous citizens who are already short of money are sinking deeper into poverty.”
“The gas surcharge is needed not to maintain gas supplies this winter, as the government claims, but for a senseless sanctions policy that has done more harm to Germany than Russia. We need to put an end to this, ”the politician concluded.
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder supported Rapid launch of Nord Stream 2 to reduce the financial burden on Europeans.
“The simplest solution would be to commission the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. It’s already over. If things get really bad, we have this pipeline and we will have no issues with supply for German industry and German households as both branches of the gas pipeline are working,” he said.
According to him, due to gas shortages, the country may soon find itself in an unprecedented situation where the Federal Grid Agency will have to decide which industrialists will buy gas and which will not.
“It will be even more difficult for many people who already have to count every penny. And then in Germany they will ask: why do we do without gas from the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline? Why?” he concluded.
Gas will still remain Russian
Khrupalla is not the only one criticizing the policy of the German authorities. On July 29, the head of the Bundestag Energy and Climate Committee, Klaus Ernst, told TASS that Germany still needs Russian gas, so if there is no other option, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should be used for supply.
“In general, it does not matter which pipeline the gas is delivered to Germany. It still remains Russian. In this sense, the subject of Nord Stream 2 is quite symbolic. “If there is no other possibility, for whatever reason and if gas supply can eventually only be achieved with the help of Nord Stream 2, then we will have to talk about commissioning as soon as possible.” aforementioned.
Although the politician opposes Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine, he believes that the issue of gas supply to Germany should not be considered in the context of sanctions. He is sure that “everything must be used to ensure the gas supply”.
“If Robert Habek insists that Russia fulfill the contracts, that shows the need for gas. And it doesn’t matter which channel it’s transmitted through,” Ernst stressed.
According to him, the complete absence of Russian gas supplies could become a “social explosive” for Germany. The politician came to the conclusion that he considers it necessary to start negotiations with Russia on the future of energy supply.
Launch of Nord Stream 2
The launch of Nord Stream 2 was also supported by the mayors of seven small towns on the German island of Rügen. On July 27, it was learned that they applied to the regional government with a call for the gas pipeline to be put into operation in order to ensure energy security.
How informs The DPA agency supported the call, including the heads of the city governments of Sassnitz, Bergen, Sellin and Binzer, citing a letter from the mayors. They sent the document to Robert Habek, Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and head of the federal government’s Ministry of Economy.
“We are of the opinion that the route proposed by the federal government to abandon the Russian energy carriers is not correct,” the mayors said.
Construction of Nord Stream 2 was fully completed on September 10, 2021. It was originally scheduled to be completed before the end of 2019, but work was delayed due to US sanctions. The gas pipeline consists of two strings with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. m per year stretching from the Russian coast to Germany via the Baltic Sea. However, Nord Stream 2 has not yet been approved by the Federal Republic of Germany.
Due to the reduction in supply via Nord Stream 1, Germany began to have difficulties in obtaining the required gas quantities.