Wherever the Green Economics Minister Robert Habeck appears, he is met with anger and skepticism. On his "summer tour" through Germany - in addition to the unspeakable attacks by some "lateral thinkers" and extremists - the honest desperation of people becomes clear because they no longer know whether and how they can raise the money for the gas and electricity bills.
And in the European capitals, Habeck experiences cool reservations that even end in harsh rejection.
The minister promotes that the neighboring countries help Germany with gas supplies. They show little interest in it. Unfortunately rightly so. Germany is now calling for willingness to overcome the energy crisis together. But in recent years, all federal governments have made their own energy policy, paying little or no attention to the sensitivities of our neighbors.
The energy transition and nuclear phase-out were not coordinated with the other EU member states, they were not even privy to the plans. And now that it's getting - pardon me - cold, everyone should get in one boat. Unsurprisingly, from Lisbon to Budapest, the motto is: "Not with us." What particularly annoys the governments in many EU countries is the rigid adherence of the Germans to their energy agenda, especially the phase-out of nuclear power. Shutting down the last nuclear power plants because that's the way it's been decided, and at the same time begging for gas, nobody abroad understands that.
The French, Romanians, Hungarians and Slovaks are right in pointing out to Germany: Leave ideology aside and connect the last nuclear reactors to the grid for the time being. Then you can knock again.
There is no question that the nature of the rejection and the tone are inappropriate in some capital cities. When Poland, with its gas storage tanks full to the brim, makes aid deliveries dependent on reparations for the damage caused by the Second World War, it is unbearable. At least now we know who is not a friend.
But who, despite all warnings, has largely placed himself in the hands of Russia, who is shutting down nuclear power plants while many countries are ramping up nuclear energy, who are constantly telling others how to do it better, and saying that states in distress have just “lived beyond their means “, should not be surprised at the lack of solidarity.
Now only a little less arrogance helps in the current gas negotiations. And in the long term, a policy that takes into account the consequences of going it alone.
"Kick-off Politics" is WELT's daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or directly via RSS feed.
