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Schwerin (dpa / mv) - Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) has defended the establishment of an environmental foundation, which is also intended to support the completion of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline, against criticism from politics and environmental protection associations.
Part of the criticism was based on reservations about Russia.
"If the pipeline did not come from Russia, but from a Scandinavian country, there would be less excitement," said Schwesig on Thursday in Schwerin.
It was responding to accusations by leading politicians from the FDP and the Greens, with their commitment to the Russian gas supplies, playing into the cards Russia, which is internationally criticized for the annexation of Crimea and the Ukraine conflict.
The state government of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had always taken the view that the second gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea was also necessary.
"We need natural gas as an energy source for a transition period," said Schwesig.
This should ensure security of supply after the phase-out from nuclear and coal-fired electricity and until it is completely replaced by green electricity.
«You need the energy transition to protect the climate.
The energy turnaround must succeed in such a way that, in the end, private households and industry do not lose energy prices, ”explained Schwesig.
Detached from the pipeline discussion, the purpose of the foundation is to support environmental projects and research into promising energy storage systems.
There have already been talks with companies about this.
And environmental initiatives are also interested in funding their projects, Schwesig said before a meeting with representatives of larger environmental associations.
They had already spoken out clearly against working with the foundation because, in their opinion, the import of additional gas would delay the energy transition in Germany and thus endanger the climate targets.
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Draft of the foundation statutes