Energy | Mykkänen of the Coalition: The government should ensure Finland’s interest in rescuing Uniper – according to Minister Tuppurainen, the decisions are made by Fortum

The coalition the chairman of the parliamentary group Kai Mykkänen (kok) thinks that the Finnish government should try to monitor the interests of Finnish taxpayers if Uniper is about to fall into the arms of the German state. The gas company Uniper is a subsidiary of the Finnish state company Fortum.

“We are dealing with a question of billions of euros for Finnish taxpayers. The Minister of Ownership Guidance is the actor responsible for preserving and developing the value of state property. He should currently strive to ensure that the German government’s measures are also fair for Finnish taxpayers,” says Mykkänen.

Handelsblatt– magazine, the German government is planning a rescue package worth billions of euros for the gas company Uniper. According to the newspaper’s information, Germany would get a 25 percent ownership stake in Uniper at a price of only 1.70 euros per share. Uniper’s share price has moved around ten euros in recent days.

“There is a risk that Fortum’s ownership of Uniper will be diluted in such a way that the Finnish taxpayer will be left with too little compensation,” Mykkänen fears.

Minister of owner guidance Titti Tuppurainen (sd) responded to HS’s comment request via message through his cabinet.

Based on Tuppurai’s answer, the Finnish government will not negotiate with the German government.

“We have close and close relations with Germany, but the Finnish state is not a negotiating party in this operational matter. Fortum is owner-directing Uniper, and Fortum’s operational activities and decisions are the responsibility of Fortum,” Tuppurainen communicated.

Fortum has refused to comment on the matter to Helsingin Sanomat.

“Discussions with the German government are ongoing, and we cannot predict the outcome in any way,” the company told HS by email on Wednesday.

The German government said on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement on a change in the law that would give the state the opportunity to save struggling energy companies. According to Reuters, Germany’s Bundestag and Bundestag will vote on the law change on Friday.