FX.co ★ Former German leader strongly lobbied for Nord Stream 2, internal documents reveal

According to the surfaced confidential documents, Angela Merkel and Olaf Scholz tried to push through the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Internal government documents obtained from the German Ministry for Economic Affairs revealed that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and two coalitions under her leadership were staunch advocates for the completion of the controversial Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, actively lobbying for Gazprom’s interests.

For seven years, they heavily lobbied for the construction of an additional direct natural gas link to Russia, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, while publicly calling it a "private sector project". Throughout that period, nothing made the German government doubt the rosy picture painted by Nord Stream 2 AG, the material says, citing various official memos and information from embassies.

The revealed documents show that Merkel saw no threat from the Russian pipeline. A June 2014 memo from the ministry asserts that Germany will remain dependent on gas imports from Russia for the foreseeable future and a complete shutdown of Russian gas supplies is unlikely in the coming decades.

This trajectory was further solidified when Merkel decided to increase Germany's energy reliance on Russia. Official documents show that in 2015, she instructed the government to support the project after Gazprom announced its plans to build a new pipeline in partnership with European companies. The former chancellor believed the project would "strengthen Germany's role as a European gas hub."

The documents also indicate that Chancellor Olaf Scholz continued Merkel’s efforts to pave the way for completing the Russian pipeline. However, this initiative faced resistance from German authorities.