OREANDA-NEWS The German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) intends to take further legal steps in relation to the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Climate and Environment Fund, which is connected with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The DUH spokesman said this on Thursday, July 15, after the administrative court in Schwerin rejected the organization's claim the day before, Deutsche Welle reports.

The lawsuit challenged the foundation's public benefit status. This status, established by the tax office, is an important component of any public organization in Germany and provides an opportunity to receive donations that sponsors can use to reduce taxes.

The next step for DUH will be a lawsuit in the highest administrative court in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Greiswald. The head of Deutsche Umwelthilfe, Sasha Müller-Krenner, said that this is a "fake fund" that deceives citizens, claiming that it is engaged in climate protection. In fact, according to her, the fund is "pushing through Europe's largest project in the field of traditional energy sources".

This is not the first attempt by environmentalists to fight the gas pipeline. In June, the German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe asked the Federal Office for Shipping and Hydrography to suspend the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in German waters until the environmental impact is assessed.