Gerhard Schroeder talks about the goal of the European Union. He's facing penalties

According to the decision, The EU sanctions list should include “European board members of the largest Russian companies and politicians who continue to receive Russian money.”

The text mentions Schroeder and He was “strongly urged” to resign from positions in Russian state-owned companies – Quoted from the former head of the French government, François Fillon or the former vice chancellor of Austria, Wolfgang Schuessel, who resigned due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Bernd Lange, head of the European Parliament’s foreign trade committee, told Spiegel that Schroeder’s behavior was “unacceptable”.

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Daniel Caspari, Head of the CDU/CSU Group in the European Parliament stated:Gerhard Schroeder should finally resign his Russian position,” he added, adding that “it was simply frustrating that the former Federal Chancellor had completely lost his moral compass.” The SPD must also “show whether it can continue to tolerate Putin’s friend Schröder in its ranks.”

Marcus Ferber, MEP for CSU, expressed similar views. Schroeder became “the main lobby of Vladimir Putin in Germany” and “unabashedly pushed through the Kremlin’s political program”.

The resolution’s proposal is supported by a broad coalition of conservatives, social democrats, liberals and greens in the European Parliament. The decision is not binding on EU member states.

The draft does not say anything about the nature of the penalties. Since Schroeder is a citizen of the European Union, the most likely solution is financial measures such as an asset freeze.

As the German media points out, it is doubtful whether this will happen, because The obstacles to sanctions against Schroeder are significant. Member states will have to ask the European External Action Service to investigate whether Schroeder’s actions warrant sanctions. In the end, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, will have to decide whether to propose to member states that the former adviser be included in the sanctions list. This decision must be adopted unanimously by the member states of the European Union.