It was one of the up and coming executives of Social Democrats in the field of federal policy, at least until recently. THE 42-year-old Manuela Svezig served Minister of Family Affairs in the second government of the chancellor Merkel (2013-2017). Since then it is Prime Minister of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, as well as head of the local organization of the Social Democrats. Her illness with breast cancer forced her to temporarily return for health reasons, but to return to her post soon.
But beyond its promising political profile, there is one “Dark” page in her CV. His unconditional support, according to many Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream 2for which the specific German state has always played a key role, due to its geographical location – but also to the pro-Russian stance of the Social Democrats, led by Manuela Svezig in the region. The success of the controversial pipeline was even reduced to personal betting of Svezig, a grand project that brought money and jobs to the state.
The controversial environmental institution
Things changed after Russian invasion of Ukraine and Manuela Svezig, who was forced to declare that support for Nord Stream 2 was wrong, publicly reviewing its policy. However, these statements were not enough for her critics. They have given rise again in recent weeks revelations about close contacts of the political leadership of the state with the company Nord Stream 2 AGa subsidiary of Russian Gazprom -in which o former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder held key posts.
Unknown aspects of one in particular came to light Shadow Foundation for Climate and Environmentwhich was founded by the government of the state under Prime Minister Svezig and which seems to funded through opaque procedures with controversial donations of 20 million from the Nord Stream 2 AG consortium.
In turn, the institution in question is said to have assisted in 2021 in the completion of works on the Baltic pipeline, which, however, froze after the start of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine. According to reports, the Foundation for Climate and Environment seems to exerted considerable influence in the local political scene, while it is noteworthy that did not cease to operate after the invasion of Ukrainedespite the fact that pipeline-related activities were frozen.
Intense pressure but she does not give up
It is also a fact that Manuela Svezig has been under pressure for a long timewith the opposition and members of the government in Berlin asking for answers or even her resignation. “If the reports are true, that is, that Russian companies had more or less unimpeded access to local government and that because of them the state was deprived of taxes, then Ms. Svezig will not be able to stand it,” he said. leader of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Friedrich Mertz.
And Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the German parliament’s European Affairs Committee considers the criticism of Manuela Svezig “justified” by the Greens, describing as “catastrophic” the fact that even after the Russian invasion the state government continued to promote the pipeline through this institution.
For now though Manuela Svezig does not give up. “With the current knowledge, the pipeline support was wrong,” he told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. He emphasized that the decision to support Nord Stream 2 had been taken lightly in the past by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, prompting both the relevant ministers and the local prime minister to make the necessary contacts. As for the establishment of the institution in question, she emphasizes that it was done with the votes of the Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Left.
DW / Dimitra Kyranoudi, Berlin
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