DISINFO: Germany doesn’t want energy solidarity but vassalage
SUMMARY
When Germany looked to Spain and Portugal after remembering that it could extract gas or build a long-forgotten pipeline there, it did so not in a spirit of solidarity, but to demand vassalage. A vassalage devoid of any sense of solidarity, since it is not about rich citizens helping disadvantaged citizens, but quite the opposite, it is about the disadvantaged, and once aggrieved – those lazy and unbearable PIGS – ipso facto handing over as much gas as possible, even if they need it. So it is not a question of citizens who have a lot giving up what they have left over so that those in a precarious situation can survive or improve their plight; it is a question of citizens with fewer resources going through hardship so that those with more resources can continue to live their affluent lives.
RESPONSE
This disinformation narrative aims to stir up discontent and animosity against Germany among the Spanish citizens.
In fact, in terms of energy, both Spain and Portugal have more than enough supply to cover their needs due to their long-term investment in renewable energy and LNG plants and are able to provide up to 30% of Europe’s natural gas demand. Some of the energy measures adopted by the European Commission are indeed the result of a joint proposal presented by Portugal and Spain, not demands in Germany's self-interest, as this disinformation message implies.
The ultimate goal of this disinformation message is to erode European mutual trust and to prevent the adoption of European solidarity measures that may soften the impact of Russia’s energy blackmail against the EU. In late July 2022, the EU already adopted some measures in this regard, such as the voluntary reduction of natural gas demand.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that Germany maintains dominance of the EU bloc through keeping the rest of the countries weak, that the sovereignty of EU countries is fiction, or that the European Union is merely a market aiming to destroy nation-states.