Russia's Gazprom Settles Multiyear Antitrust Case With European Union
May 24 2018 - 7:25AM
Dow Jones News
By Natalia Drozdiak
BRUSSELS--Russian energy giant PAO Gazprom has formally
committed to changing some business practices to settle a multiyear
antitrust case, the European Union said Thursday, in a procedure
that allows the state-owned company to avoid billion-dollar
fines.
The announcement, which contrasts with billion-dollar antitrust
fines levied by the same office on internet companies like Alphabet
Inc.'s Google, comes amid strained relations between Russia and the
West.
The European Commission, which serves as the EU's antitrust
watchdog, said Gazprom has committed to a variety of pledges for an
eight-year period that will enable the free flow of gas in central
and Eastern Europe at competitive prices. The company has already
made some of those changes of its own volition in response to
customer pressure.
"We are satisfied with the commitments decision announced today
by the European Commission in relation to the settlement of the
investigation," said Alexander Medvedev, Gazprom's deputy chairman.
"We believe that today's decision is the most reasonable outcome
for the well-functioning of the entire European gas market."
Should the company renege on its promises, it could be hit with
a fine as high as 10% of its annual revenue, the EU said.
As part of the commitments, Gazprom pledged to remove
contractual restrictions that prevented customers from reselling
gas across borders, the bloc said.
The commission said the company had also promised to set gas
prices in line with the price level in competitive western European
gas markets and that the company will allow customers to more
frequently ask for price revisions.
Write to Natalia Drozdiak at natalia.drozdiak@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 24, 2018 07:10 ET (11:10 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2018 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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