The EC’s anti-trust results against Gazprom fall short of expectations

The results of the three-year EU antitrust investigation against Gazprom, which were waited with joyful anticipation in many European countries and with anxiety in Moscow, as predicted by the Kommersant, has fallen short of forecasts. On the one hand, they were softer than they could, on the other – on the most serious claims Gazprom corrected its stance over the years, the situation on the market also changed. As a result, the charge of excessive pricing, which was to be the key one, now looks the most doubtful. The hard official positions of the parties, according to the Kommersant’s information, also only formally cover their willingness to negotiate. But the dialogue can be prevented by a policy that stands behind them.

The European Commission has published a list of antitrust claims against Gazprom (statement of objections). The final charges were significantly softer than the EC said, when started the investigation in 2012 (the first searches in the Gazprom’s companies in Europe took place a year before). Then Brussels suspected Gazprom of restricting the free movement of gas in the countries – the EU member states in Eastern Europe, preventing the appearance of other sources of supply and unfair pricing (linking the gas price to the price of oil). It was about eight markets - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria.