Preparations for a possible nationalization of the former German subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom are more advanced than previously known. According to information from WELT AM SONNTAG, the federal government has secretly set up a holding company in order to be able to carry out the nationalization in the short term.
Society is still available. So far, the former Gazprom Germania, which has since been renamed Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE), has been under the trusteeship of the Federal Network Agency.
The holding company bears almost the same name: On June 3, a shelf company (“VERONIKA Zweiunddreizigste Vermögensverwaltungsgesellschaft”) was renamed Securing Energy for Europe Holding GmbH (SEEHG).
The partnership agreement, which is available to WELT AM SONNTAG, states: “The purpose of the company is to ensure security of supply in the energy sector.” Also: “The object of the company is the acquisition, holding and management of company investments.” The company’s managing directors are two lawyers of the law firm CMS Hasche Sigle.
The Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWK) confirmed that they were aware of the founding of the company. “The BMWK is aware of the existence of such a company,” said a spokeswoman. “This was prepared in May 2022 purely as a precautionary measure for any restructuring measures.” This is “not unusual in cases of corporate restructuring”.
At the moment, however, “there are no legal relationships under company law,” said the spokeswoman. “It is a purely precautionary institution that currently only exists as a corporate law shell.” Ministers have heard that the chancellery is acting on behalf of the government. When asked, CMS Hasche Sigle referred to confidentiality obligations on the one hand and the BMWK on the other.
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