Bundestag: Schröder loses privileges tagesschau.de

Status: 05/19/2022 3:19 p.m

He has been criticized for years for his proximity to the Kremlin, but this has reached a new dimension with the Ukraine war. According to ARD information, the Bundestag has now withdrawn some special rights from former Chancellor Schröder.

The Budget Committee of the Bundestag has canceled the former SPD Chancellor Gerhard Schröder’s staff and offices. That experienced that ARD-Capital Studio. Formally, the office of the former Federal Chancellor is thus put on hold.

Last year, the costs for staff and travel for employees in the former chancellor’s office amounted to almost 419,000 euros. Expenditure on office space and equipment is not taken into account. The 78-year-old retains his pension and personal security.

The application was submitted by the traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP. According to information from the Archyde.com news agency, the opposition Union also voted for it. She even wanted to overturn Schröder’s pension. In the future, the official appointments of former heads of government should generally result from their obligations.

Posts in Russian corporations

Schröder has been heavily criticized for his contacts with Russia. He was Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. He then took on tasks for the pipeline company Nord Stream, Russia’s Gazprom and the energy company Rosneft, among others.

Since he did not distance himself from this after the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the SPD leadership asked him to leave the party. There are also motions for expulsion from the party. Schröder’s connections to Russian corporations or Putin are not mentioned in the motion approved by the budget committee. The background is the fear that this would be legally vulnerable.

EU Parliament calls for sanctions

Before the Budget Committee’s decision, the European Parliament had voted in favor of EU sanctions against the former Chancellor by a large majority. The reason is the ongoing activity of the SPD politician for Rosneft.

The step is likely to increase the pressure on the responsible EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Foreign Affairs Representative, Josep Borrell, to submit a proposal for Schröder’s inclusion on the EU sanctions list. If this is then accepted, Schröder’s existing assets in the EU could be frozen.

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