“We are discussing commitments (of Gazprom for settlement of claims made by the EC) both at the technical level, but also at my level. It is not all there yet, but it (the case) is moving forward, as well as the formal procedure,” the commissioner said in an interview with EurActiv.
Some Central and Eastern European countries have possibly suffered as a result of Gazprom possibly abusing its monopoly power, she said at a press event in Brussels on Monday.
Vestager said she could not predict what the outcome of the probe might be. The EC suspects Gazprom of abusing its leading position in the European gas market, and also has questions on its system of long-term contracts and pricing.
The official antimonopoly probe was initiated on the basis of complaints from Lithuanian authorities to the European Commission on September 4, 2012.
The investigation is being carried out in the Baltic States, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Bulgaria. Under the European law, the penalty for violation of anti-monopoly regulations can reach 10% of the annual turnover of a company on the market.
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