Gazprom Disagrees With Poland's Fine Over Nord Stream 2, Views It as Attempted Obstruction

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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's state gas company Gazprom stated on Wednesday its disagreement with and intention to appeal the decision of Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) to fine it over the Nord Stream 2 project.

"Gazprom fundamentally disagrees with the position of the Polish anti-monopoly authority UOKiK and its October 6 decision to impose a fine of about 6.5 billion euros on Gazprom", the company said in a press release.

"The UOKiK decision violates the principles of legality, proportionality and fair trial, while the unprecedented amount of the fine points to the pursuit of obstructing the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project by any means", the press release read.

According to Gazprom, the Polish watchdog has accused it and the European partners of not having notified the Polish government of their intention to start a joint venture for the pipeline's construction. The Russian gas giant emphasized that the construction was carried out not by the Nord Stream company, but by one of Gazprom's subsidiaries with external debt financing.

"Gazprom will definitely use its right to appeal the decision, because it has not breached the anti-monopoly laws of Poland. The UOKiK's decision cannot be implemented for as long as it is subject to an appellation", the company said.

Earlier in the day, the UOKiK announced fining Gazprom around $7.6 billion over Nord Stream 2. Additionally, the European partners of the projects were fined a total $61 million, with the Polish watchdog obligating them to abandon their pipeline-related financial commitments within 30 days.

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