An embargo on Russian natural gas would seriously affect the German economy, as well as society, Labor Minister Hubertus Heil said in an interview with news outlet Funke, published on Saturday.
“We should gradually become independent from gas imports, but the immediate imposition of an embargo would both complicate the situation with rising prices even more and lead to job losses. So we must avoid this,” he warned.
Heil noted that the labor market in Germany, despite suffering from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, is currently stable, but drastic measures such as cutting off Russian gas would change the situation for the worse.