German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposes a European Parliament resolution calling for former Social Democrat Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to be put on the EU sanctions list due to his ties to the Kremlin, drawing the line at the measures already taken by the German Bundestag.
The resolution, backed by a broad coalition of parties, including members of Scholz’ Socialists and Democrats group, calls on the Council to extend the EU sanctions list to European members on the boards of “major Russian companies.”
Adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday, it specifically singled out Schröder, and “strongly” demands he quits his position as chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian energy giant Rosneft.
However, Scholz insisted that the “decision of the German Bundestag regarding the former chancellor” would be enough. “I do not consider any more to be necessary at the moment,“ Scholz stated at a press conference in The Hague.
Scholz, who was general secretary of the German social democrats (SPD) during Schröder’s reign between 1998 and 2002, stated however, that he would support the punitive measures taken by the Bundestag the same day.
The German parliament cancelled Schröder’s privileges as a former chancellor and temporarily stripped him of his office in the Bundestag and the personnel that comes with it.
The Bundestag justified the move by referring to Schröder’s behaviour during the Russian war of aggression, where he refused to take a clear stance against the Kremlin.
“You can’t isolate a country like Russia in the long run, neither politically nor economically,” Schröder said in April’s interview with the New York Times.
“When this war is over, we will have to go back to dealing with Russia. We always do,” Schröder continued.
He also defended his lobbying activities for the Kremlin and his strong support for Nord Stream, for which he laid the foundation in his final days as chancellor.
The interview triggered a fierce reaction within his own party, with multiple high-ranking Social Democrats calling for him to be expelled.
The decision to strip Schröder of his privileges as a former chancellor of the federal republic is also significant, as Schröder’s political approach was long viewed as a model for electoral success.
While Scholz firmly opposed the motion to put Schröder on the EU sanctions list, he nonetheless found clear words on his former colleague, who endorsed him as the SPD lead candidate ahead of the 2021 elections.
“It would be best if Gerd Schröder resigned from his posts,” he stated.
Source: euractiv.com
