Former German chancellor Scholz testifies at Nord Stream inquiry

Former German chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday testified at an inquiry into the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea.

The controversial pipeline was intended to transport Russian gas to Germany, but did not go into operation due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Scholz told the parliamentary inquiry in the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that he had long campaigned for Germany to free itself of its energy dependence on Russia by building terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG).

"I never understood why Germany, unlike many other countries, such as Belgium, did not build an LNG infrastructure in addition to a pipeline infrastructure," he said.

After serving as finance minister and vice chancellor under Angela Merkel from 2018, Scholz became chancellor in December 2021.

Nord Stream 2 was constructed during his years in government despite opposition from Ukraine, Poland, the United States and others.

The inquiry has been tasked with clarifying whether Russia exerted influence on the establishment of a foundation which helped to complete the pipeline project in 2021, despite the US threatening sanctions on the companies involved.

Scholz said he was informed about the creation of the foundation by the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state government but that the federal government had little involvement in the project.

However, he did write a letter to former US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin to push for Germany to avoid sanctions, he said.

Both Nord Stream 2 and Nord Stream 1, another pipeline built 10 years earlier, are currently out of operation after they were severely damaged by explosions in September 2022.

Scholz is not the first ex-chancellor to appear in front of the inquiry in Schwerin.

In his testimony, Merkel's predecessor Gerhard Schröder described the pipelines as essential for providing Germany with cheap Russian gas.

Sigmar Gabriel, who served as minister for energy and the economy between 2013 and the beginning of 2017, and subsequently as foreign minister until 2018, acknowledged errors in dealing with Russia.

Gabriel described failing to perceive the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin as "one of the biggest mistakes in German foreign policy that I was involved in."

The inquiry aims to finish its work ahead of state elections due to be held in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern next year.