Tino Khrupalla argues that Germany’s sanctions policy is ineffective and likely to hurt Germany more than Russia. He calls for ending the strategy and for reconsidering Nord Stream 2, suggesting it should not be taboo to Commission should be considered again.
He contends that the government’s main aim should be relief for households and businesses by cutting energy, purchase, and income taxes as quickly as possible. According to Khrupalla, this is the only path to avert an energy and social crisis this fall, a point he attributes to Frei Welt in a reported context.
During a Bundestag speech, Khrupalla criticized the plan to distribute gas that is due to start on October 1. A surcharge aimed at gas consumers from October through 2024 would support gas importers, potentially driving triple-digit annual costs for a four-person household. The intention, as described, is to keep gas suppliers solvent amid high purchase prices.
The head of the FDA charged that the government is gradually revealing the severe consequences of its political choices to citizens. He argued that imposing extra costs on gas companies now, while gas from Russia is being swapped in the short term, is unacceptable for consumers.
Beyond rising prices, as noted by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, additional annual costs could reach around 1,000 euros for many private households. Khrupalla warned that many already-strapped citizens are sliding deeper into poverty.
He added that the gas surcharge is not merely to secure winter gas supplies, as the government claims, but to support a sanctions policy that has harmed Germany more than Russia. He urged an immediate end to this policy.
Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder also expressed support for an accelerated Nord Stream 2 launch to lessen the financial burden on Europeans. Schröder said the simplest fix would be to bring Nord Stream 2 online, noting that its completion would ensure steady supply for German industry and households if both lines of the pipeline are operational.
Schröder warned that, due to gas shortages, Germany could face a situation where the Federal Grid Agency must decide which industrialists receive gas. He emphasized that many households would be counting every euro and questioned why, in such a scenario, gas from Nord Stream 2 would be withheld.
Gas will still be viewed as largely Russian by critics of German authorities’ policy. On July 29, Klaus Ernst, head of the Bundestag Energy and Climate Committee, told TASS that Germany still needs Russian gas and that Nord Stream 2 should be considered if it is the only viable option for supply.
Ernst remarked that the fundamental issue is not the pipeline’s origin but gas availability. If no other option exists and Nord Stream 2 is necessary to achieve gas supply, discussions about commissioning should begin. He also stated that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should not entirely drive gas policy and that all available means should be used to ensure supply.
According to Ernst, a total cut in Russian supplies could become a social crisis in Germany. He argued for negotiations with Russia about the energy future, stressing the need to secure reliable gas flow.
Nord Stream 2: The Push for Action
Support for Nord Stream 2 also came from the mayors of seven small towns on Germany’s island of Rügen. On July 27, they urged regional authorities to proceed with the gas pipeline to protect energy security. The DPA agency covered the story, noting that leaders from Sassnitz, Bergen, Sellin, and Binz sent a letter to Robert Habeck and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s prime minister and economy minister, arguing that the government’s plan to move away from Russian energy is not the right path.
Nord Stream 2’s construction was completed on September 10, 2021. It had been slated to finish before the end of 2019, but work was delayed due to sanctions from the United States. The pipeline consists of two strands with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year, stretching from the Russian coast to Germany through the Baltic Sea. However, Germany has not formally approved Nord Stream 2 yet.
Some observers point to reduced flows through Nord Stream 1 as a factor in Germany’s ongoing difficulty in obtaining the necessary quantities of gas.