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Fridays for Future wants to protest against plans by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania to support the completion of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline with a foundation.
It sounds like a bad joke that the state government wants to promote construction with a climate protection foundation, said the climate protection movement on Monday.
Accordingly, protests are planned for Tuesday in front of the SPD party headquarters in Berlin, in front of the State Chancellery in Schwerin and in front of the pipeline landing station in Lubmin.
Last week, the Schwerin state parliament paved the way for the establishment of a state-owned environmental foundation.
The foundation, which is oriented towards the common good, aims to promote projects in the field of environmental, nature and climate protection, but also to be able to be commercially active.
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The foundation plans to buy components and machines that are essential for the completion of the gas pipeline.
This is intended to circumvent threatened US sanctions against companies involved in the construction of the line as far as possible.
Natural gas is extremely harmful to the climate and studies have shown that Nord Stream 2 is not necessary to meet Europe's energy needs, according to the Fridays for Future announcement.
Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD), on the other hand, presented gas as a necessary transition technology for the energy transition.
In parliament she said that the natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany was also of great economic importance for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
Schwesig also experiences headwinds from his own party.
Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was skeptical about the establishment of a foundation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
“It is a decision that was made in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
It is not a decision of the federal government, ”said the SPD politician on Monday during a visit to Cairo.
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Maas made it clear that he was still hoping for an amicable settlement with Washington.
In the new “sanctions regime” on Nord Stream 2, a “consultation mechanism” is foreseen.
"Before the sanctions are implemented, there will be consultations with the government." It is important to speak to one another "to look for solutions that are acceptable to both sides".
The construction of the gas pipeline, which according to the state government costs around 11 billion euros, was interrupted shortly before completion at the end of 2019 after European companies bowed to pressure from the USA and pipe-laying ships pulled out of the Baltic Sea.
German environmental aid wants to prevent the foundation
Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) also wants to prevent the foundation.
The “scandal foundation” of Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) is not only misguided in terms of climate and European policy and an attempted deception of the citizens - it is also incompatible with national and EU law, the DUH said on Monday in an invitation to one Press conference on Tuesday with.
The environmental aid announced "political and legal steps" to prevent the "camouflage foundation".
An initial legal assessment on their behalf came to the conclusion that the construction was not compatible with German and EU law.
The “MV Climate and Environmental Protection” foundation has one primary task: “Instead of promoting climate protection, it is primarily intended to favor a single private company with Nord Stream 2 AG and to help build the extremely climate-damaging natural gas pipeline,” criticized the DUH .