German Economy Minister Robert Habeck has announced that the German state will temporarily take over the German branch of the Russian giant Gazprom due to its “importance for Germany’s energy supply”.
By September 30, the federal agency managing energy networks will become responsible for Gazprom Germania, of which Gazprom was the sole owner.
at GermanyGazprom subsidiaries operate major gas and fuel storage facilities. Gazprom Germany also has several subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
“The government is doing what is necessary to ensure the security of supplies in Germany, and this includes not exposing the energy infrastructure to arbitrary decisions of the Kremlin,” Habeck told a news conference.
“The voting rights of the owners of Gazprom Germania have been transferred to the Federal Network Agency, the Bundesnetzagentur, which can take all necessary decisions to ensure the supply,” the minister said.
On Friday, the Russian giant announced that it had “terminated its stake in Gazprom Germania and all of its assets on March 31,” without providing details of the new ownership structure. However, Berlin said it was aware of the company’s purchase by entities of “unconfirmed origin”, which should have been reported to the government. He also indicated the intention to “liquidate” “Gazprom Germania”.
