Various groups in Germany are now wrestling over what organisations, individuals and industries will be allowed to use the last scraps of gas left in the country.
As Russia completely turns off its supply of natural gas to Germany — for planned annual maintenance — which some fear will never be reversed, groups and politicians in the country have begun fighting it out to see what individuals, organisations and industries will be allowed to use the last scraps of the country’s energy supply.
Robert Habeck has previously stated that private citizens would be prioritised should the ongoing gas crisis get so bad that not all consumers would be supplied, with the minister saying that he would shut down industry to ensure people can still heat their homes over the winter.
However, at least one German industry group is now challenging this decision, with the country’s Chemical Industry Association (VCI) demanding that businesses be prioritised over consumers.
“What’s the point if households could continue to get gas but could no longer pay for it?” Der Spiegel reports association head Christian Kullmann as saying, who argued that it was “more important for society than completely ensuring private gas supplies”.
Economic and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck appears to have been won over to Kullman’s side, with the Green party politician now saying that he wants private dwellings to “do their share” during the crisis due to the effects cutting off industry would have in the long term.
Russian Gas Pipeline Shut Down for Annual Maintenance, Germany Wonders Whether it Will Ever Turn on Again https://t.co/f6nPJeSyOy
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 11, 2022
While Habeck and Kullman appear to be convinced that businesses and industry should get a sizable share of Germany’s last dribbles of gas, others within the German political sphere do not seem nearly as convinced.
For example, Saskia Esken, who heads up the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany, has said that she wants private households, as well as the likes of schools and other core public amenities, to be prioritised in the event that there is not enough gas to go around.
“Private households and system-relevant facilities must clearly have priority in a gas shortage,” the party leader reportedly said, while also emphasising that she believed the problem is limited to gas only, and that there will be no power outages in Germany.
Germany is also relying heavily on its international allies to help it alleviate the problems it currently has in sourcing gas, with the country successfully persuading Canada to wave some Russian sanctions in order to allow the export of a vital component needed for the Nordstream gas pipeline.
Russia had previously used the absence of the part to justify drastically cutting the amount of gas it sends to Germany, so the sudden availability of the party raises the slim possibility that regular shipments could resume in the future.
However, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has slammed the move, summoning the Canadian ambassador to explain the country’s decision to wave the sanctions preventing Germany from obtaining the essential part.
“If a terrorist state can enforce such an exemption from sanctions, what exemptions does it want tomorrow or the day after? This question is very dangerous,” Zelensky said, saying that the move not only threatened Ukraine, but “for all countries of the democratic world”.
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