Gerhard Schröder, the ex-chancellor of Germany, has opted to give up his chairman of the board position at Rosneft, a Russian state-owned energy giant, TASS cites the company’s website.
“Gerhard Schröder and Matthias Warnig [managing director at Nord Stream AG] have announced that they will not extend their term in the company’s board of directors,” reads the statement which shows the company’s understanding of the decision.
The ruling coalition of Germany agreed to take away Schröder’s ex-chancellor privileges over his ties with Russia two days ago. To make sure that the gesture does not seem “political”, the ruling coalition added a clause that allows them to take away the privileges of other former chancellors, for example, Angela Merkel, if a similar situation arises in the future.
Employees of Schröder’s office, which receives about €400,000 in funding annually, will be offered to finish their pending tasks and focus on other jobs. Some of the employees have resigned voluntarily as a sign of protest in relation to Schröder’s ties with Russia. The former chancellor will be allowed to retain a personal security team and his state pension.
