Germany could face an extreme test

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is of the opinion that measures against gas supply bottlenecks will be necessary beyond the coming winter. In a video message, the SPD politician said that “these days we are concerned about the security of energy supply. This will continue to preoccupy us in the coming weeks, months and years.”

This is not the German chancellor’s first warning this week.

Last Monday Olaf Scholz prepared the Germans for a prolonged crisis with high prices. In the video message of the weekend, he emphasized that the German government has made many decisions in a very short time, so that Germany is well prepared. “We are building pipelines, liquefied gas terminals. We make sure the gas tanks are filled. We make sure that coal plants are used, to save gas.”

But according to Scholz, in the long term, it is about becoming independent from importing oil, coal and gas and expanding renewable energies. We are doing this with many laws, which have been approved this week”, said the German chancellor, adding that this is being done at such a pace, “which Germany has not known before and this is necessary.”

“Political nightmare”

The German Minister of Economy, Robert Habeck, warns of a “political nightmare scenario” before the threat of a complete cutoff of gas from Russia. It is about this scenario, when the state in case of an acute crisis has to command the distribution of gas, Habeck told Deutschlandfunk. I have no illusions, said the green politician, about what will happen. “This will put Germany in front of an extreme test, which we have not had in this form for a long time.” Such a situation can be avoided if we save gas, said Habeck. An immediate interruption of gas would “take social solidarity to the limit. The German Minister of Economy has said that, according to the European norm, “recently” the private use of gas has been interfered with, in critical infrastructure such as hospitals and care centers for the elderly.”/ DW