Former OMV boss Gerhard Roiss again criticized Russia’s strong orientation on gas supply during his interrogation in the ÖVP’s corruption investigation committee on Tuesday. OMV has “no strategy for security of gas supply in the event of a crisis, of which we are painfully aware today,” he said. The opposition, meanwhile, invited Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) to the committee — it was initially unclear whether he would come to his liking on Wednesday.
Roiss was the only source of information about Tuesday’s U-committee, which ended after about four hours. The former head of the works council of OMV, Christine Asperger, has canceled due to health reasons.
Fatal change of strategy after transfer
Rois explained to MPs that as CEO of OMV he had opted for gas from Norway and rejected a stronger commitment to Russia – but his successor Rainer Seele had rejected this strategy. Seele himself was also scheduled on Tuesday as a person to provide information, but could not be invited due to a missing registration address in Austria.
Roiss has been managing director of OMV since April 2011. In March 2014, his contract was initially extended for three years until 2017, he told the committee. “In June 2014, Siegfried Wolf was elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ÖIAG. In September 2014, Mr. Rudolf Kemler, then our head of the Supervisory Board, told me that I had to leave the company,” he recalls. himself.
Turning away from gas from Norway
Under the ÖIAG presidency, Wolfs was suddenly told that the OMV strategy was wrong and no longer appropriate, says Roiss. This strategy relied heavily on gas from Norway, among others, after a civil war broke out in Libya, OMV’s biggest profit maker at the time. OMV then invested 3 billion euros and bought in Norwegian gas fields.
Too long dependency
The premature extension of the gas supply contract with Gazprom in 2018 (until 2040) – which was carried out in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and ex-chancellor Sebastian Kurz – has taken too long, Roiss believes. Although he can estimate gas needs up to 2030, he fears that Austria will still need 6 billion cubic meters of gas per year by 2040.
The take-or-pay clause was not uncommon in Europe, he said. Pipelines cannot be built over thousands of kilometers for billions without long-term contracts and purchase obligations. Those obligations are different and would, for example, amount to 70 or 80 percent in Russian treaties with Europe. “That’s the culture of these contracts.”
Karner wants Schmid. don’t present
Meanwhile, the actions of Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) regarding the desired subpoena of the former Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance (and ex-ÖBAG boss) Thomas Schmid provoked anger in the opposition – especially among the SPÖ. party chairman Jan Krainer. Although he had moved abroad, he received the subpoena, Krainer explained. And Schmid even testified in federal administrative court that he received the subpoena. Still, Karner informed the commission of inquiry on Monday that Schmid would not be offered because the subpoena had not been handed over.
Karner’s office rejected Krainer’s report: “The Home Secretary would bring in Thomas Schmid immediately. But he can’t because there is no legal basis,” a spokesperson for the Home Secretary said in a statement to the APA.
Now Karner has to testify
Apparently this explanation was not enough for the opposition factions. They have filed Karner’s subpoena with the U-Commission – “as soon as possible,” preferably this Wednesday. Karner was “responsible for the refusal to comply with the orders of the Commission of Inquiry, in particular for the presentation of MMag. To comply with Thoma Schmid,” the request reads.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
