Associated Press
German lawmakers agreed Thursday to strip former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of his office and staff after he maintained and defended his long-standing ties with Russia and its energy sector despite the invasion of Ukraine. Sven Kindler, a financial policy spokesman for the Greens, one of the governing parties, tweeted that parliament's budget committee approved a change to the rules that would leave Schroeder's office “dormant.” The move was expected after lawmakers with the governing coalition — which is led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats, Schroeder's party — on Wednesday proposed linking some of the privileges former chancellors enjoy to actual duties, rather than their status as ex-leaders.