Rosneft has a 54-percent stake in the Schwedt refinery through its German subsidiaries, Poland’s money.pl website reported this week.
However, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany took control of the Schwedt refinery last year, and put Rosneft Deutschland under the trusteeship of the German industry regulator, the Reuters news agency reported.
Moreover, as of this year, Germany decided to stop importing Russian oil, which had been brought to Schwedt through the Friendship pipeline.
Polish-German agreement
In December, Poland’s Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa and the German Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck signed an agreement on mutual support in securing the safe operation of Poland’s Gdańsk and Płock refineries, as well as the German refineries of Leuna and Schwedt, money.pl reported.
Currently, the Schwedt refinery uses crude imported through the northern Polish port of Gdańsk, among other sources, according to news outlets.
Poland demands 'de-Russification of Schwedt’
Poland has repeatedly said that the "de-Russification of Schwedt" is a condition for support in providing oil for the refinery, while encouraging Polish utility Orlen to acquire a stake in Schwedt, the Reuters news agency reported.
In response, the German government is now seeking to change the Energy Security Act to ensure that assets put under government trusteeship, such as Rosneft’s stake in Schwedt, need not be fully nationalised before being sold, if the sale of the assets is needed to ensure that Germany's energy sector remains functional, according to Reuters.
Poland’s Orlen to replace Rosneft at Schwedt?
In practice, such an amendment is designed to pave the way for the quick sale of Rosneft’s stake in Schwedt, money.pl said.
With Orlen mentioned as a potential buyer, Moscow has reacted furiously, according to money.pl.
Rosneft’s lawyers say Germany ‘blackmailed by Poland’
Malmendier Legal, a law firm hired by Rosneft, said the German government must be careful not to blow up the current version of the Energy Security Act, Reuters reported.
Malmendier Legal’s Bertrand Malmendier told Reuters: "The fact that the German government is allowing itself to be blackmailed by Poland on this issue, or is even colluding with Poland against the current majority owner of the refinery, has been observed for already some time."
He said that, after the nationalisation of Gazprom Germania had "ended in a fiasco," Germany “will not want to repeat this in Schwedt,” according to Reuters.
Tuesday is day 363 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: money.pl, Reuters, dw.com/pl
