Vilnius court upholds EUR 35m antitrust fine for Gazprom

Gazprom
Reuters/Scanpix

Gazprom had asked the court to annul the Competition Council’s decision of 10 June 2014 as unlawful. In this decision, the authority stated that Gazprom’s actions had violated the Council’s decision of 18 March 2004 and the company subsequently was fined EUR 35,651,268.

Vilnius Regional Administrative Court concluded that the Competition Council’s decision was lawful and justified made within the authority’s competence, having taken into account all factual circumstances. As a result, the claimant’s complaint was rejected as ungrounded.

According to the court, a condition tied to Gazprom’s acquisition of a 34-percent stake in Lietuvos Dujos (Lithuanian Gas) back in 2004 laid down a clear obligation for the Russian company not to create barriers for Lithuanian consumers to buy gas from other suppliers. Therefore, Gazprom’s refusal to negotiate with Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba (formerly Lietuvos Energija) prevented it from doing so and made it possible for the Russian company to maintain its position as the sole gas supplier.

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