All major German media devoted part of their coverage to Canada — and its energy policy — on the sidelines of the extraordinary visit of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was in Montreal on Monday.
In itself, the trip to Canada by their head of government surprised the Germans, both in its duration and in its ambition. “This is the longest inaugural visit by a Chancellor to a single country”, indicates the Munich newspaper Suddeutsche ZeitungGermany’s largest daily newspaper.
“For no other of the 20 or so countries visited since his swearing in in December, [Olaf Scholz] put as much effort into his inaugural visits as he does now for Canada,” the business media also writes. Handelsblatt.
A press review by The duty Monday left little doubt about the sudden interest and curiosity of the German media for the country and its gas and mining potential, in particular.
Replace Russian Gas
“Canada has natural resources as rich as Russia”, explains the daily Frankfurter Allgemeinetaking up the enthusiastic parallel drawn by Olaf Scholz himself.
Like a new suitor being compared to a fallen partner, the second largest country in the world by area is systematically compared to the first, whose commercial ties we want to get rid of.
“Democratic, stable and unthreatened by Trump, as Germany’s public broadcaster ZDF presents, Canada is one of the countries that has become even more attractive as a result of Russia’s war of aggression. »
It is still necessary that Canada be able to help Europe to get rid of its dependence on Russian gas as quickly as possible, which is far from being in the pocket, underlines the consensus of the German press. The expected announcements also concern future exports of green hydrogen, and not of this natural gas which is currently running the factories.
” Projects [annoncés] do not promise a quick solution to Europe’s energy problems”, analyzes Die Tageszeitung, a newspaper known to be close to the German Green Party. “One of the challenges surrounding LNG [gaz naturel liquéfié] is the level of investment in infrastructure”, concludes Die Welt.
The weekly Die Zeit also warns its readers against Canadian gas, compared to “tear gas” for the ethical issues related to extraction by hydraulic fracturing, a method that “sheds tears”, one writes in an analysis.
In addition to the natural gas outlook, economic publications highlight German industry’s interest in Canadian metals, such as cobalt, nickel, lithium and graphite, which are important for battery production.
In addition to the economic files, the atoms hooked between Chancellor Scholz and Prime Minister Trudeau are noted in particular on the climate issue.
Formed late last year, Germany’s new government includes members from the Green Party, such as Economy and Climate Minister Robert Habeck, who is also on the trip. “It’s about energy and raw materials, but also about what political style best suits the times,” notes Der Spiegel. Canada is therefore also in the background of these political intrigues.