EPA
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NOS News•today, 09:28
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Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder is suing the German Bundestag because he can no longer claim an office with associated staff. The German parliament decided in May to deprive Schröder of that privilege, because he was active as a director and supervisor of Russian energy companies.
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Until last spring he was a supervisory director at the state-owned company Rosneft, where he resigned under great political pressure. But he has been on good terms with President Putin for many years and does not want to publicly distance himself from the war in Ukraine.
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After their resignation, Chancellors have the option to maintain an office with staff at the Bundestag at the expense of the state. That costs more than 400,000 euros per year. The 78-year-old Schröder is entitled to his pension of 8300 euros per month and personal security, which is also paid by the state.
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Illegal decision
When withdrawing the right to an office, the Bundestag did not explicitly mention Schröder’s activities in the Russian gas and oil sector, arguing that such a provision is “in order to meet obligations arising from the chancellorship”.
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Schröder was Chancellor from 1998 to 2005. Apparently the parliament thinks that there are no longer such obligations in his case, but the SPD politician disputes that and says that the decision is illegal.
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His party also struggles with Schröder’s refusal to distance himself from Russia and his friend Putin. There has been discussion within the SPD about whether he should be expelled, but a special committee has decided that this is not necessary for the time being. It is still possible to appeal against that decision within the party.
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