V a t t e n f a l l - Sweden´s other face

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on October 5th, 2001 by Ewa Larsson of the Green Party
(Miljöpartiet de gröna)
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Vattenfall's business activities in eastern Germany
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1. Draft resolution
The Riksdag informs the Government of its view, that Sweden should not involve itself in the mining of brown coal in Germany. -
2. The Government and the Swedish Vattenfall AB must get out of brown coal mining
The state-owned Vattenfall concern has problems with its risky energy business in Germany. It is involved in a trial of strength with its American business partner Mirant. Both own equally-large shareholdings in their subsidiary BEWAG, and Mirant has quit plans for a new German energy giant. At the same time, a battle has broken out about the future of East German brown coal mining. Jobs are set against the resettlement of people. Problems of this kind are not unusual in international business. The interesting thing about this dispute, however, is that the Swedish Government has the ultimate responsibility for further developments.
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Should Vattenfall, as a state concern, remain firm in this power struggle with an American company? Should Vattenfall, in state ownership, with us taxpayers as partners, participate in a compulsory resettlement or in the closure of a brown-coal strip-mine on foreign territory? Can a Swedish environment minister just silently look on, when a Swedish state concern mines and burns brown coal?
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The mining and burning of brown coal is for many reasons irreconcilable with an ecological and socially sustainable strategy for the future. The Sorb minority in Eastern Germany enjoys the basic protection of the Brandenburg State Constitution. The strip-mine is today 1.5 km from the Sorb village of Horno, that is listed and protected.
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Because a large part of brown-coal mining in Eastern Germany takes place in the traditional Sorb settlement area, the Sorb minority is severely threatened through brown-coal strip-mines. This violates the European Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, to which Sweden is also a signatory. In my view, Sweden should not participate in brown-coal mining in Germany through the state concern Vattenfall.
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Stockholm, October 3rd, 2001
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Ewa Larsson (Miljöpartiet de gröna)
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