ON APRIL, 20TH
Gazprom is in the heart of Brussels’ concerns about antitrust regulation – AFP PHOTO / YURI KADOBNOV
In September 2012, the European Commission initiated an investigation, suspecting Gazprom to raise obstacles to free flow of gas between European States.
Another time, Brussels is targeting Gazprom. Next Wednesday, the Commission shall open an antitrust case against Gazprom, the gas behemoth, by delivering a grievance notification, as Reuters found out from sources close to the proceeding.
In September 2012, Brussels started an investigation, as the institution suspected Gazprom to divide gas markets by obstructing the free flow of gas between European States, to have hindered the diversification of gas deliveries then to have imposed unfair prices to its customers, by linking arbitrarily gas price to oil price.
As I found the article a little to short, I add this one, which is going further but dates back from January 2015.
Gas: Tension is rising between Brussels and Moscow
LES ECHOS ON JANUARY, 15TH
Russia decided to start the fight. Yesterday, Moscow warned the Europeans by telling them to build gas pipelines as quick as possible and at their expenses if they still want to buy Russian gas, because Vladimir Putin’s Russia does not intend anymore to transit gas to them through Ukraine. This statement was made after the first visit to Moscow of the new deputy president of the European Commission in charge of energy.
This meeting has been held after a year of tense discussions, featured by a new gas war between Moscow and Kiev and the end of the South Stream gas pipeline project, replaced by a pipe built between Russia and Turkey. Alexei Miller, Gazprom’s CEO, said to the Brussels representative that this change of orientation was the direct consequence of the upcoming implementation of an energy European Union, reportedly set to allow Members States to unite against the Russian group. “The Turkish Stream gas pipe shall be the only way by which 63 million cubic meters of Russian gas will be delivered, those presently transiting by Ukraine”, said firmly Alexei Miller, after the meeting. “There won’t be any other alternative. »
Meaning as follows: Europeans shall get this gas from Turkey and they shall “build the necessary infrastructures from the Greek-Turkish border”, Gazprom’s boss hammered. He considers that works should start “immediately”. “Otherwise, these gas deliveries will be awarded to other countries”, he warned.
When Vladimir Putin announced the end of South Stream on December 1st, he arose surprise, hardly a year before its scheduled commissioning, and as major funds were already invested. This Gazprom project led jointly with Italy’s ENI and France’s EDF was estimated to reach a €16 billion amount to date: the pipe would have linked Russia to Bulgaria through the Black Sea on a km3,600 distance, to reach Western Europe through Serbia, Hungary and Slovenia To replace this pipeline, Russia considers to build a new gas pipe towards Turkey through the Black Sea, so Turkey shall become a major transit centre for Russian gas.
By the way, Moscow intends to close the page of its gas relations with Ukraine, as pro-EU have been elected in Kiev. Moreover, Russian intends to hammer that the country has found new customers in China and Turkey and that it is freeing itself from stringent European rules the country has deemed unfair since a long time. In fact, Brussels has ordered Gazprom to open its gas pipelines to other operators but Gazprom definitely refused, because of the huge investments it made for their construction.
Going further...
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