Schröder to Appear Virtually Before the Inquiry Committee
In an unprecedented move, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has agreed to testify before the Schwerin state parliament's investigative committee regarding the Climate and Environmental Protection Foundation, but only via video link. The testimony, scheduled for October 17th, will take place from Schröder's office in Hannover.
The foundation, established by the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government in early 2021 to secure the completion of the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, has been a subject of intense scrutiny and controversy. Schröder, who was active for Russian energy companies for many years, including as chairman of the supervisory board of Nord Stream 2 AG, has been at the centre of this controversy.
Opposition parties in Schwerin hope to gain insights into possible Russian influence on decisions by the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government through a direct interrogation of Schröder. However, Schröder's lawyer, Hans-Peter Huber, has set conditions for the testimony, including no public access and the ability for Schröder to take breaks during the proceedings.
Hannes Damm of the Greens has stated that a non-public interrogation of Schröder is unacceptable. Committee chairman Sebastian Ehlers has expressed skepticism about the demand for an exclusion of the public, stating that publicity is a central principle of parliamentary investigative committees and is protected by the constitution.
Schröder's health condition has been a point of discussion, with Damm emphasising that it must be taken into account, but that this should not lead to the witness evading a public statement. Schröder, who was diagnosed with burnout in the spring and checked into a clinic in Switzerland, has proposed a video interrogation as a compromise.
The foundation is now led by a new board, and the country that established it intends to fully withdraw from it in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, legal reasons have prevented its dissolution.
The committee's investigation into the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the Climate and Environmental Protection Foundation is one of several ongoing inquiries aimed at examining potential Russian influence on German politics and decision-making. Damm has also referred to Schröder's connections to Nord Stream 2 and his contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As of the current date, there is no direct information in the provided search results specifically explaining why Schröder's testimony is being conducted via video link with conditions to exclude the public during proceedings in the Schwerin state parliament. Official statements from the Schwerin state parliament, the committee in question, or reporting from trusted German media would be necessary for a precise account.
Typical reasons for such arrangements in parliamentary committees or inquiries could include security or privacy concerns, protection of witnesses, procedural rules, or pandemic or logistics. However, without specific details from official sources or media reporting, these explanations remain general and hypothetical.
- The investigation into potential Russian influence on German politics and decision-making, including the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and the Climate and Environmental Protection Foundation, has led to intense scrutiny of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's actions, given his ties to Russian energy companies and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Despite the controversy surrounding Schröder's testimony regarding the Climate and Environmental Protection Foundation, politics and policy-and-legislation questions related to war-and-conflicts and general news are also likely to be addressed, as Schröder has been asked to testify using a video link with conditions that exclude the public from the proceedings, raising questions about transparency and accountability in government.
