Gazprom in near future may hold talks on antimonopoly deal ahead of EC decision
MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax) - Gazprom Deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev may in the near future hold another round of talks with European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager.
"A meeting is being prepared," Gazprom's official spokesperson, Sergei Kupriyanov, told Interfax.
The meeting will take place ahead of the hearing on the case at the EC, which is scheduled for December 15, Bloomberg reported.
In August 2012, the European Commission initiated an investigation into potential violations by Gazprom of the EU's anti-trust legislation. In April 2015, the EC adopted a Statement of Objections. The EC suspects Gazprom of three possible anti-trust practices: of partitioning the gas markets and impeding the free flow of gas via the territory of EU member states; of obstructing the diversification of gas supplies; and of setting unfair prices for its clients, pegging the gas price to the price of oil.
On September 28 Gazprom presented the EC with a formal answer to accusations in an anti-trust case (Statement of Objections). The company argued its position on each of the objections. It explained why it considers the objections to be based on the wrong methodology, quoting, for example, data to prove the EC's complaints that contract prices were allegedly inflated were economically and legally groundless.
In the framework of talks between Gazprom and the EC, it was scheduled to hold two formal meetings. The first meeting Medvedev and Vestager took place on July 23 in Brussels.