Schröder Under Pressure: New SPD Proceedings Sought After Putin Visit

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Two Applications After Schröder’s Visit to Moscow

Gerhard Schröder has once again become the focus of attention within the SPD following his visit to Wladimir Putin. According to Christoph Matterne, the managing director of the SPD Hannover District, two applications for a new party disciplinary procedure have been received. Their procedural validity is still being reviewed.

The procedure has therefore not merely been announced; it has been triggered by a specific application. Because of where Schröder lives, responsibility lies with the SPD Region Hannover Subdistrict. Matterne declined to say which two party branches submitted the applications, citing the SPD arbitration rules. The substantive reasons for the applications are also not disclosed in the available reports.

One thing is certain: the SPD is again dealing with Schröder’s closeness to Moscow. What remains unclear is whether both applications will clear the formal hurdles and what specific course of sanction the parties involved are seeking.

Both Handelsblatt and a report distributed via Reuters at Zeit.de confirm the report. The “Badischen Neuesten Nachrichten” was the first to report on the two applications.

Why Schröder’s Visit Is Triggering Renewed Controversy

The catalyst was a meeting that the Kremlin confirmed in connection with Putin’s 74th birthday in Moscow. Schröder visited the Russian president as he celebrated his birthday. The 82-year-old former chancellor had already met with Putin repeatedly, including after the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine in early October of this year. Such meetings had already prompted repeated strong criticism from within his party.

Schröder’s ties to Russia received additional emphasis through a new economic role: Shortly before the Putin visit, he was appointed to the supervisory board of the Russian subsidiary of the German supermarket chain Globus. The move adds to a connection that has been the subject of criticism for years. Schröder is friends with Putin and has also been criticized for his involvement with Russian companies.

His political significance makes the matter sensitive for the SPD: Schröder was Federal Chancellor from 1998 to 2005 and was thus a central figure in German politics for years. An internal party procedure against him therefore reaches far beyond an unusual side effect of his work on behalf of Russian companies. It raises the question of how the current SPD is dealing with a prominent former leader whose foreign relations and business activities are disputed within the party itself.

The Comparison With 2022 Shows How High the Hurdles Are

Expulsion from the SPD is anything but an automatic consequence of a criticized visit. Under the SPD’s organizational statutes, a member must have “intentionally violated the statutes or seriously violated the principles or order of the party.” In addition, “serious damage to the party” must have resulted.

The history of the case is instructive. In 2022, there were considerably more applications. At the time, 17 SPD branches initiated proceedings. At first instance, the SPD Region Hannover Subdistrict ruled in summer 2022 that Schröder had not violated the party rules.

Seven SPD branches then filed appeals — unsuccessfully. In addition to expulsion from the party, milder penalties such as a formal reprimand would have been possible. In 2023, the arbitration committee of the SPD Hannover District rejected all applications for sanctions. At the final stage, the SPD Federal Arbitration Committee also rejected applications for appeal as inadmissible.

The comparison makes clear why the procedural review is important this time. Two new applications are a concrete step, but not yet a decision on sanctions. At the same time, it would be inaccurate to infer an announced expulsion from the party solely from the two applications. Unlike the 17 applications in 2022, the current number consists of only two applications; their origin and justification are not public.

What Is Being Reviewed Now — and What Remains Open

There is now a clear next step for those involved: the procedural validity of both applications must be reviewed. Only then can it be determined whether, and with what substance, the party disciplinary procedure will continue. The two party branches that submitted the applications, the precise reasons, and the next steps remain unclear.

The possible consequences have also not been decided. In theory, milder measures such as a formal reprimand could be considered in addition to expulsion from the party. Both, however, require compliance with the respective conditions of the SPD arbitration rules and organizational statutes. The earlier decisions in 2022 and 2023 also show that criticism of Schröder’s contacts with Russia does not automatically lead to a sanction.

The strongest argument against drawing a premature conclusion is therefore clear: a visit and two applications do not establish a proven breach of the rules. The only certainty is that the SPD is once again institutionally reviewing how it deals with Schröder and his ties to Putin. Anyone seeking to assess the full case must wait for the pending procedural review and the subsequent reasoning.