In 2016, in response to the European Commission competition concerns, Gazprom provided it with final proposals to solve the issues related to the possible violations of anti-monopoly legislation. In March, the authority invited all the stakeholders to submit their views on whether Gazprom complied with the proposed commitments. The authority is now reviewing the results of these market tests.
"We have carried the talks with Ms. [EU Commissioner for Competition Margrethe] Vestager and the delegation of the European Commission. We agreed to continue the talks in the near future on the technical level for the assessment of the results of the market tests," Alexander Medvedev said.
Medvedev also expressed hope that the upcoming talks will allow to solve the issues and complete the regulation of the situation in the near future.
The Russian state-controlled company has been fighting accusations of the alleged monopolistic practices in several Central and Eastern European gas markets, including overcharging customers and blocking East European rivals, since 2012. In 2015, the European Commission sent a Statement of Objections to Gazprom alleging that some of the company's business practices in Central and Eastern European gas markets constituted an abuse of its dominant market position in breach of EU antitrust rules.
In March, Vestager called Gazprom's proposals to regulate the situation "a forward looking solution to fix the issues" that would help to better integrate gas markets in the region.
On Thursday, head of Poland’s state-controlled oil and gas company PGNiG Piotr Wozniak said that the company would protest the European Commission's possible decision to accept Gazprom's proposal to settle alleged anti-monopoly legislation violations.
