Illustration photo – Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in front of the logo of the Russian state gas company Gazprom.
Berlin – Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder faces no punishment in his home Social Democracy (SPD) for his friendly stance towards Russia and involvement in Russian state concerns. The arbitration commission of the SPD regional organization in Hanover reached the conclusion today in the appeal process that Schröder did not violate any party rules, wrote the DPA agency. In the event of violation of the regulations, the authority may expel the offender from the party.
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The commission has now confirmed its position from last August, when it decided on Schröder's exclusion based on two dozen applications. Today's position can be appealed to the SPD federal body, but according to the DPA it is highly unlikely that such an attempt could succeed.
Schröder led the German government from 1998 to 2005 and faced harsh criticism after the Russian invasion of Ukraine for not sufficiently condemning the attack and for initially refusing to give up his membership in the supervisory boards of Russian state-owned energy companies. Among other things, he worked in the Nord Stream 2 companies, which is now in bankruptcy, in the Rosneft concern, which he left, and also applied for membership in the Gazprom supervisory board. he turned a number of fellow party members against him. Already last April, its chairman Saskia Eskenová called on him to leave the party.
