Warsaw – During her probably last official visit to Poland, Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) took a position on the energy dispute between the two countries. On Saturday, Merkel reaffirmed the German government’s promise to support the continuation of Russian gas exports through Ukraine – a statement that, according to observers, is of limited value for Poland. The main point of dispute between Warsaw and Berlin is the recently completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, because of which Poland and especially the Ukraine fear losing its importance as a transit country for Russian natural gas to Central Europe. Poland would also like to become an energy hub in Europe itself, including a pipeline to Scandinavia. Poland is also relying on imports of liquefied gas from the USA and other countries in order to break the Russian market dominance.
Merkel pointed out that German imports of fossil fuels should be further reduced in the course of the switch to sustainable energy sources and said that Poland had to tackle “perhaps the greatest transformation path” in the energy transition. “Germany is still dependent on lignite, but Poland is much more dependent,” she said. In Poland there are currently no plans to phase out coal. In addition, Warsaw is planning to build new nuclear power plants, which has recently been heavily criticized by the German Greens.
During her visit, Merkel also criticized neighboring Belarus for allegedly sending refugees to Europe. “I consider it completely unacceptable to carry out such hybrid attacks on the back of individuals with their fate,” said Merkel on Saturday in Warsaw. She also called on the EU Commission and the Polish government to enter into a dialogue in the dispute over the Polish judicial reforms. Because of the situation, Poland has declared a state of emergency in the border area and built a barbed wire fence. Some migrants were stuck for weeks surrounded by Polish and Belarusian border guards under unbearable conditions at the border.
Regarding the judicial dispute with the EU, Merkel said after her meeting with Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki that “things should be solved through talks”. On Tuesday, the EU Commission applied for a fine against Poland at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) because Warsaw has not yet implemented a judgment of the ECJ. (with AFP)