Can an economy minister think of deliberately shutting down the German economy? Loud and in front of an audience?
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (54, Greens) did it – loud and clear. And he reaps indignation!
Habeck said at the East German Economic Forum in Brandenburg regarding the imminent shortage of gas in Eastern Europe from next year (contracts to supply Russian gas through Ukraine are expiring):
▶︎ “If Russian gas did not reach Eastern Europe with the same intensity with which it still passes through Ukraine, what was agreed in Europe would apply: before the people there froze, we would have to strangle our industry or even shut it down. .”
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Accelerate or even shut down? The economy?
bang!
Hard reaction not only from the opposition. Also from semaphore FDP:
Bundestag Vice-President Wolfgang Kubicki (71, FDP) on BILD: “I am surprised by Robert Habeck’s statement. After all, he had sworn that he would devote his energy to the well-being of the German people, increase their benefits and protect them from harm. But if he continues to refrain from using the gas tanks in Germany, so he is not doing what he can to help his European partners as well”.
Habeck critics: FDP Grande and Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (71)
Photo: Andreas Arnold / Frankfurt / Springer SE
And Kubicki asked the question about nuclear power: “Unfortunately, the fact that we continue to generate electricity from gas instead of using nuclear energy, for example, has little to do with an adequate and solution-oriented energy policy.”
FDP Bundestag member Gerald Ullrich (60) scoffed: “The continuous operation of nuclear power plants would have saved gas – but Germany has renounced this possibility of solidarity.”
Union criticizes Minister of Economy
▶︎ Former transport minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) railed against Habeck on Twitter – calling him a “minister of deindustrialization” and wanting to “turn off the traffic lights”.
▶︎ CDU Bundestag member Erwin Rüddel (67) accused the Greens of paving Germany “the way to a society of poverty” and demanded: “We need more protests against this madness.”
With his statement, Habeck referred to the 2019 “gas emergency plan”. It provides for a solidarity program for the EU in the event of a gas shortage. It also means that states help each other out – and that private homes and power plants get priority.
In 2024, the gas supply contracts between Russia and Ukraine expire, from which the Eastern European states and Austria will be supplied. In particular, the more Moscow-friendly states of Austria and Hungary continue to rely heavily on Russian gas – and then need to be supported by others if there is not enough gas.