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It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification. It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. HOMEPAGE Subscribe Subscribe Home It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Politics Germany has seized control of a local unit of Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom, saying it will do 'what is necessary' to maintain energy supply in the country Huileng Tan 2022-04-05T04:21:15Z The letter F. An envelope. It indicates the ability to send an email. A stylized bird with an open mouth, tweeting. Twitter The word "in". LinkedIn A stylized letter F. Flipboard An image of a chain link. It symobilizes a website link url. Copy Link Download the app Gazprom logo Gazprom's unit in Germany runs gas storage facilities, gas transportation, and energy trading in the country. Olga Maltseva/AFP/ Getty Images * Berlin has taken over a local unit of Russian natural gas giant Gazprom, Germany's economy ministry announced Monday. * The German economy ministry said Gazprom Germania violated foreign trade law. * Germany, Europe's largest economy, is heavily reliant on Russia for natural gas. Sign up for our weekday newsletter, packed with original analysis, news, and trends -- delivered right to your inbox. Something is loading. Email address [ ] [Sign up] By clicking 'Sign up', you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Berlin has seized control of a Germany-based unit of Russian natural-gas giant Gazprom. Germany's economy minister announced the seizure in a statement on Monday. The move came after the ministry of economic affairs learned that Gazprom Germania had been acquired by JSC Palmary and Gazprom export business services LLC -- but it wasn't clear who the owners behind the two companies were, per the statement. Germany's economy ministry justified the takeover by saying it had not granted permission for the Gazprom Germania acquisition. Permission is required, the ministry said, if the investors are not from the European Union and "critical infrastructure" is involved. "The Federal Government is doing what is necessary to uphold security of supply in Germany," economy minister Robert Habeck said in the statement. "This also includes not exposing energy infrastructures in Germany to arbitrary decisions by the Kremlin. The proper conduct of business in Germany must be ensured." Gazprom Germania runs gas storage facilities, gas transportation, and energy trading in the country. The company is "of outstanding importance for the gas supply," said the Germany economy ministry. Germany's federal energy regulator, the Bundesnetzagentur, will serve as the temporary trustee of Gazprom Germania until September 2022, the economy ministry said in the statement. Russia's war in Ukraine has prompted concerns over Germany's energy security. Last week, Germany activated an emergency plan to deal with disruptions to its natural-gas supply after Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded payment in rubles and threatened shutting off Russian gas to Europe altogether. Germany is now in the "early warning phase" of its energy emergency plan, with Berlin calling for all energy consumers -- both industry and households -- to save energy and reduce consumption. If the situation worsens, the country might ration gas in the last of the three-stage plan, with industry first in line for power cuts, as outlined by Germany's economy ministry. The move could devastate the economy and lead to job losses. Last week, business newspaper Handelsblatt reported Germany was considering nationalizing Gazprom and Rosneft units in the country. Berlin was also considering expropriating Gazprom assets by forcing the giant to sell its gas-storage facilities across Germany, Politico reported Friday, citing a government official and two other people briefed on the plans. Russian gas accounted for 55% of Germany's gas imports in 2021 and 40% of its gas imports in the first quarter of 2022, Reuters reported. The country has pledged to end the use of Russian gas by 2024, the Habeck said in a March 25 press release. Gazprom did not immediately reply to Insider's request for comment, sent outside regular business hours. A picture of a switch and lightbulb [light-swit] Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know. Subscribe to push notifications An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. 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