Reuters: Debate on Russian energy imports strains German coalition
A debate over whether Germany needs to rethink its energy strategy and reduce its dependence on Russian gas imports due to the Ukraine crisis is causing tensions within Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-left coalition.
Some senior centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) have questioned a remark by conservative Merkel that Europe's biggest economy, which imports some 35 percent of its gas from Russia, would take another look at its energy policy amid the crisis.
Merkel's comment reflects a consensus among European Union leaders, who said earlier this month the annexation of Crimea made them more determined to reduce dependence on Russian oil and gas.
The issue now looms large before a meeting on Tuesday between Merkel and the premiers of Germany's 16 federal states about a long-awaited reform of the law on subsidies for green energy.