The effects on the policies of the german Gov't in relation to the catastrophy in Japan

The devastating events in Japan, which had occured in February 2011 with the following nuclear catastrophy in Fukushima where a second "Tschernobyl" cannot be excluded, put alot of pressure on the current German Gov't because of the fact that chancelor Angela Merkel and her leading party the CDU and also their partner the FDP had just concluded a "secret" contract between the Gov't and several energy-firms in 2010 which would extend the use of nuclear energy for many nuclear powerplants for another 30 years. The so called "Laufzeitverlängerung for nuclear powerplants".

Since that time several parties like for example the SPD or Bündnis 90 die Grüne (a party that has its main focus on ecological issues ) are trying to sue the current Gov't because in their opinion the CDU/FDP was not allowed to enforce the new law without consulting the "Bundesrat" (the delegation of the 16 States of Germany).

Therfore those parties but also several NGO's like Greenpeace or others have protested massivly against those actions.

Now these "enemies" of nuclear power found more and more support in the citizens of Germany after the events in Japan.

As a result the Gov't stated that they are definitaly planing on shutting down 7 nuclear powerplants immediately for the duration of 3 month in which they want to "overthink" the situation. In connection to this sudden decision they expressed that the catastrophe in Fukushima made them change their mind and faced them with the dangers of nuclear energy.

But many people doubted that these changes of thinking took place because of the different mentality in the CDU/FDP but because of the growing pressure of the German people. And especially because of the fact that there were very important elections upcomming in two states the CDU/FDP could not afford to lose. In connection to these doubtes Rainer Brüderle a politician from the FDP said in a secret meeting with Energy-Companies that these changes in nuclear-politics where just made because of those upcoming elections. That comment was later on made public by a german newspaper and put much pressure on Brüderle and the CDU/FDP

Concerning the legal aspect

As already mentioned the German Goverment had just enforced a law which would exceed the use of nuclear energy for more than 30 years. Now the so called "Moratorium" ( The decision by the CDU to shut down several nuclear plants for three month, and may shut them down forever) does in fact have not the proper law in order for the CDU to do so. Many experts already expressed that the Government cannot act that way because the law simply does not allow such actings by the Gov't. They would have to change the law in general.

Because of that the big energy-companies such as EON or Enercity might try to sue the German Government and should probably win those cases.

But until that moment they haven't done so because of course those companies are aware of the fact that they depend on the Gov't.

In my second post I will focus especially on the legal issues regarding this "Moratorium".

Julian Eslami

// Note:

While I wrote this Post the elections in the two states ( Baden-Württemberg and Rheinland Pfalz ) took place. In both states the "Anti-Nuclear" Party Grüne was able to achieve historical results. In Baden-Württemberg they were even the second "strongest" party and will provide the Minister of that state (Winfried Kretschmann).

However the CDU and the FDP lost a major part of their votes and therfore had to suffer massiv losses.