The federal government is currently discussing the possibility of temporarily suspending the ongoing legal proceedings initiated by Rosneft, the Russian oil conglomerate. This negotiation concerns the new state-appointed trusteeship managing Germany’s Rosneft subsidiaries. According to a report by “Politico”, this information was derived from a response issued by the federal government detailing a parliamentary inquiry. However, as of yet, an agreement has not been reached.
The federal government confirmed that while the lawsuit has not been dismissed, all participating parties and their legal representatives are engaged in negotiations regarding a potential suspension of the proceedings.
The action originated when Rosneft filed a lawsuit against the federal government at the Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg at the end of March. Initially, the case was only filed to meet a deadline. The lawsuit challenges a ministerial order from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWi) dated February 27th, which mandated that the German Rosneft subsidiaries-and thus the majority owners of the PCK refinery in Brandenburg-be placed under permanent state trusteeship based on a new legal rationale.
Compounding the legal dispute, Russia also shut down the Druschba pipeline on May 1st. This pipeline had previously transported crude oil from Kazakhstan to the PCK refinery in Schwedt. Since the closure, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has been attempting to ensure the oil supply through alternative routes, such as Poland, but these efforts have been unsuccessful so far.
German Green party politicians have voiced significant criticism, with one member calling the actions an attempt by Russia to “drive the refinery into a wall” due to both the blocked Kazakh oil deliveries and the ongoing lawsuit. He demanded that the federal government challenge this maneuver by confiscating Rosneft’s assets in Germany.