Nord Stream and its makers : greed, Gas, and money News

"The spies who came with the heat" – this is the title of a book by the journalist Jens Høvsgaard about the history of the first Nord Stream Baltic sea Pipeline appeared to be in 2017 in Denmark. Thus, the author has thrown "a hand grenade in the Danish energy - and security policy", stated the Danish newspaper Politiken.

The author describes how the Danes have concerns about the first Pipeline in the Baltic sea pushed aside, because they were hoping for lucrative deals for the Danish economy in Russia. But above all, Høvsgaard to be signed just as rich in detail as it is exciting, why the first Nord Stream line was not a commercial project, just like any other – and the means by which the Pipeline in the countries concerned. The book is published this Monday in German under the title "greed, Gas, and money – such as Germany with Nord Stream the future of Europe risked" (Europa Verlag, Munich, 22 euros). Because of the current public debate on the Nord Stream 2, the publisher moved the release date of the German edition.

the secret service people to the Post

Høvsgaard describes that the key Posts in the Russian energy group Gazprom are staffed by former intelligence people. The company Nord Stream, in turn, should build the first Pipeline in the Baltic sea, was, as of today, Nord Stream 2 – Matthias led Warnig, a former captain in the Stasi. Warnig is considered to be one of the most influential Germans in Russia, and, above all, he enjoys the confidence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he apparently knows from the time in the Putin for the KGB in Dresden was stationed.

The spies of that time had retained their old methods of work, emphasizing Høvsgaard. "In all the countries in which Gazprom operates, or to do the wishes, were paid for confidential information and loyalty."

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The most loyal supporters of the Russian Pipeline project is to start from the beginning, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD), shortly after his electoral defeat in 2005, as Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Nord Stream. Not only his good contacts in the Federal government for the project of inestimable value. "Schröder is on the payroll of the Russians have bought also have direct access to a long series of high-level European social Democrats," writes Høvsgaard.

agreements at lunch

In may 2007, calls Schröder, the former Swedish head of government, Göran Persson, has been deselected in the previous year. The two counterparts agree on a common lunch. In his reign of the social Democrat Persson was critical of the plans to lay a natural gas pipeline through the Baltic sea, he is an advocate for climate protection. A day after the meal with Schröder is known that Persson is in the future for a communication company, the Job brings him just under 200,000 Euro in the year. The largest customer of the company, the energy company Eon, one of the shareholder of Nord Stream.

A year later, Schröder calls a former colleague, the former Finnish Prime Minister Paavo Lipponen. At that time it had been in Finland, difficulties with the assessment of the environmental impact of the project Nord Stream. Schröder, so it is reported Høvsgaard, have invited Lipponen to Berlin. There, the former Chancellor and Warnig make him an offer: Lipponen to Stream consultants for the North. The former Finnish head of government asks for a home in Helsinki, whether or not the new government and the President see it as a Problem. Because there seemed to be no objections, he says, initially for a year.

Gazprom will not be collected from

Høvsgaard stressed at this point, the Meeting with Warnig was well Lipponen's first contact with a former Stasi man. The Finnish social Democrat had self-reported, the Stasi tried in the 70s, him to recruit. According to a Finnish Ex-diplomat and book-author, the Høvsgaard cited were the East Germans so quite successfully, according to Lipponen'm on a list with the names of 18 well-known Finns to have worked during the Cold war, the Stasi.

the Danish Ambassador in Berlin, Schröder visited, to talk to him about the planned Nord Stream Pipeline and the approval process. It annoys the Chancellor, the decisions can wait that long, according to the Ambassador, later the Ministry of foreign Affairs in Copenhagen. At the same time, Schröder have praised the property-oriented attitude of the Danes.

In June 2006, under the Danish energy company Dong Energy signed a contract with Gazprom over a period of 20 years. Later, the supply volume will be doubled in a further contract, so that half of the Danish Gas demand to be met from Russia. This is remarkable, because Denmark has never obtained previously, the Russian natural gas.

But this agreement can only be met if Denmark approves the first Nord Stream Baltic sea Pipeline. This happens a few weeks after the signing. Advantageously, the Deal is, however, especially for Gazprom, the Danish contract partner Dong slips after the completion of the Pipeline in the red. Later, it turns out that the Danes have to pay a much higher price per cubic metre of Gas than the Germans or the Dutch. For the Danes Kurt Bligaard Petersen, who had the contract for Dong Energy, the thing is still good: He brings in technical and managerial positions in Gazprom subsidiaries in Europe.

Generous grants for Gotland

In the strongest criticism of the project from other countries, but in Sweden, especially on the island of Gotland. Høvsgaard describes how there is a scientists at the University of warned first against the negative effects of the Pipeline for the conservation areas of Gotland. Because on the sand banks, a large part of the stock of a particular duck species, the long-tailed duck winters. A little later financed Nord Stream at the University of Gotland with 870.000 euros in a project for the exploration of the long-tailed duck – headed by the Professor, who had authored the critical opinion.

A similarly generous donation receives Gotlands Museum for archaeological investigations. Finally, the company financed the Expansion and renovation of a port on the island of Gotland and the port also pays the same fees in advance. Alone on the island of Gotland, the company Nord Stream have to 10.8 million euros, has researched the Danish Journalist. In Sweden, a total of more than 24 million euros have been spent for lobbyists, which should promote the Nord Stream project.

The payments to the German Chancellor are not allocated yet.

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