The state government in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania sees itself strengthened in its view that the state's controversial climate foundation can be dissolved.

On Wednesday, she presented to the parliamentary groups a legal report she had commissioned, which shows two ways of dissolving the foundation.

On the one hand, the dissolution by the foundation itself, or by the foundation supervisory authority.

Matthias Wysuwa

Political correspondent for northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.

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"The report even sees the dissolution of the foundation as imperative," wrote Manuela Schwesig (SPD), Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, on Twitter.

"And that's why it's absolutely clear to us that one of these paths has to be taken." In the State Chancellery, she later explained that, according to the report, the foundation's most important goal was "to strengthen acceptance of climate and environmental protection with a broad impact". , after the Russian attack on Ukraine could no longer be achieved.

Therefore, the path of dissolution can be taken.

The report by the Hamburg law professor Birgit Weitemeyer comes to a different conclusion than the report by the legal scholar Katharina Uffmann, which the foundation itself had commissioned and which means that a dissolution is not possible under foundation law and for reasons of liability.

The chairman of the foundation, Erwin Sellering, had canceled his participation in the presentation of the report by the state government on Wednesday because the new report was not available to the foundation board and a discussion of the content could not take place.

Sellering also said: "As a foundation, we are skeptical as to whether another report, in contrast to what has been available so far, could convince us that we can take the personal risk of what we consider to be illegal action."

The state's climate foundation was founded in early 2021 and provided 200,000 euros from the state and 20 million euros from Nord Stream 2 AG.

It was intended to serve climate and environmental protection in the country, but also provided for the establishment of a commercial business operation that was intended to secure the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline despite American threats of sanctions.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the state government asked the foundation to stop its work and began to look for a way to dissolve it.

Schwesig said on Wednesday that the foundation must disclose how the business contributed to the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The CDU announced that Schwesig was now asked to act boldly and to instruct her Minister of Justice in the light of the report to dissolve the foundation immediately.

"If the chairman of the foundation, Erwin Sellering, does not cooperate, Ms. Schwesig must dismiss him immediately."