WATER ABLAZE - Patagonia Sin Represas

sights are set on maximising its profits – which it is certainly doing –
and consumers are left to foot the bill.
Even a successful top manager like Professor Dr. Utz Claassen can
get himself entangled in the political undergrowth. “Because Claassen
had sent vouchers for 2006 World Cup matches, each worth more
than €2,000, to six members of the Baden-Württemberg government
and a permanent secretary in the federal government – all of whom
were mandate-holders at EnBW – the public prosecutor’s office in
Karlsruhe was investigating him on charges of granting an undue
advantage, punishable under section 333 of the criminal code. Baden-
Württemberg’s head of state, Günther Oettinger was also one of the
lucky recipients of Claassen’s vouchers. In July 2006, main proceedings
were applied for at the criminal matters division of the provincial high
court in Karlsruhe, but were only initiated with restrictions at first. Due
to an appeal by the public prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe, however,
they were finally authorised without restriction by order of the 1.
criminal division of the provincial high court in Karlsruhe.” 27
The whole affair is even more vexatious since Claassen had just
acquired the title of FIFA WM 2006 national sponsor – for over €10
million: “... As national sponsor of the WM, we would like to share this
enthusiasm with all our customers and everyone in this country.”
On June 19, 2007, EnBW announced that, for “structural,
professional, personal and family reasons”, Utz Claassen would not be
available for an extension of his contract, due to expire on May 1, 2008.
He regarded his “mission” as accomplished and would be devoting
himself to other matters when his term of office was over.
Let us now return to Mayor Schuster, that virtuoso of balancing
tricks who, in addition to his own everyday duties, has set his sights
on the ultimate goal. He intends to help the poorest of the poor in our
world and “offer men and women all over the globe a future worth
living”. In summer 2005, acting as patron of “Stuttgart’s One World
Partnership”, he announced a municipal programme of world aid and
expressed the wish to cooperate with some 150 experienced partners –
such as the GTZ and other local business enterprises, the accountants
Ernst & Young, the BMZ, the EU Commission, numerous NGOs, e.g.
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