Schwerin (dpa / mv) – The CDU has again accused Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) of not having told the truth in connection with the controversial climate protection foundation MV. The reason for this is a letter from the board of directors of the foundation, Erwin Sellering, to the parliamentary groups in the state parliament. In it, the ex-head of government appointed by Schwesig states that the board has not promised to resign by the end of September.
According to the letter, the prerequisite is the complete processing of the economic business operations, including certificates from independent auditors. In addition, Sellering reiterates his legal concerns about the dissolution of the foundation sought by the government and state parliament and complains about irrelevant attacks on the board.
The parliamentary manager of the CDU parliamentary group, Sebastian Ehlers, now recalled the joint statement by the foundation’s board of directors and the state government in May, which included the path to the foundation’s dissolution. “To the public, Manuela Schwesig gave the impression that she had everything under control, that the end of the foundation was sealed to a certain extent. I notice that Ms. Schwesig once again fooled the public,” it said in a Tuesday statement from the CDU faction published notice. When the foundation was founded in early 2021, Schwesig claimed in the state parliament that the foundation would neither build nor operate the pipeline. “That wasn’t the truth,” said Ehlers.
According to its own information, the foundation concluded contracts with around 80 companies for a total of 165 million euros for its separate economic part, which were financed by Nord Stream 2. The pipeline was completed by the end of 2021, circumventing the threat of US sanctions, but was not granted an operating license by Germany due to Russia’s actions against Ukraine. In addition to the economic commitment, the significant financing of the actual foundation work with money from Russian natural gas deals also caused massive criticism. Nord Stream 2 provided the foundation with 20 million euros for this purpose.
Because the dissolution is still being delayed despite the decision of the state parliament, the Greens parliamentary group called on the red-red government to dismiss the board of directors of the MV foundation for climate and environmental protection and to appoint a new one. The reasons given included the refusal to provide press information and the non-payment of the gift tax. This justification was withdrawn after Sellering’s intervention. According to him, the gift tax – reportedly almost half of the 20 million euros – was paid with reservations and 95 percent of press inquiries were answered. But the Greens are sticking to their demands. The motion will be discussed in Parliament on Friday.
