Inflation, Sanctions, Refugees: The Impact of the Russian-Ukraine war in Berlin
After a brief overview of the political development after the Iron Curtain came down and the collapse of the Soviet Union, this lecture will evaluate the sanctions against Russia imposed by the US and the EU, the Russian gas and oil cuts and the impact on the energy prices for consumers and companies in Berlin. The effects of the oil embargo will be demonstrated by the fate of the PCK refinery, a former Soviet era petro chemical plant that processed Russian crude oil from Siberia until the end of 2022, and is now struggling to provide gas and kerosine for Berlin and large parts of East Germany. Hummel will also explain how the Ukrainian refugees are treated in the EU and especially in Berlin, how they are supported to enter the labour market and how job training programs are intended to be a basis for the future reconstruction of Ukrainian cities. The outlook will focus on possible future developments after a truce.
Lunch will be provided.
Wolfgang J. Hummel, Senate Administration of Integration, Labour and Social Affairs, State of Berlin
W.J. Hummel is the Head of Legal Affairs of the Ukraine Refugee Reception Center in Berlin, where over a million refugees from Ukraine and Russia were registered and provided with food, shelter and medical services, since the beginning of the Ukraine war in February 2022. In over 30 years Mr. Hummel has been involved in dozens of German-Russian- and German-Ukrainian projects. In 2013 he met President Putin as a member of a business delegation. In 2014 Mr. Hummel was a member of the IMF mission in Kiev. The last time he visited Moscow was in August 2022. Until today he has almost daily social media contact with both sides of the conflict.