Merkel angry over calls by business leaders insisting that EU sanctions against Moscow be eased

BERLIN – There is growing discontent in the German Chancellery that leaders of key German concerns are making attempts to influence the government’s policy towards Russia, Der Spiegel weekly said on Sunday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel “is angry over numerous calls by leaders of the DAX companies [Germany’s index] that insist the EU sanctions against Moscow be eased”, the weekly said.

“The meeting between businessmen and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in early week aroused less delight,” Der Spiegel said pointing to the session of the Foreign Investment Advisory Council in Russia.

“The last thing we need is companies’ parallel foreign policy,” the weekly said.

German officials, who took part in the meeting in Moscow, informed the German Chancellery and not the German Foreign Ministry about their trip to Russia as is usually done before such visits, Der Spiegel said.

The USA, EU, Canada and Australia have introduced sanctions against Russia over its involvement in the Ukrainian crisis.

Dr. Eberhard Sasse, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for Munich and Upper Bavaria, said in early October Bavaria’s entrepreneurs want Western sanctions against Russia to be lifted.

“We have about 9,000 members in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and we all want the sanctions against Russia to be lifted, enabling business relations between our countries to develop further,” he said.

Sanctions as a foreign policy tool do not always produce the desired effect, Sasse said. “Sanctions create uncertainty in business prospects. This is a political tool and not a business tool,” he added.