April 22, 2015 10:04 Brussels, April 22 (PL) Amid the still existing sanctions against Russia, the European Commission (EC) today unveiled officially a lawsuit against the company in the country Gazprom for its alleged dominant position in marking supplies.
The EC applies restrictions to Moscow, following its position on the crisis in Ukraine, where a coup supported by neo-fascists in February 2014, affecting the activity of Gazprom was performed.
The document presented by EC has its antecedents in August 2012, before the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, and was linked to attempts, through them, to reduce the dependence of European gas relative to the Eurasian state.
The first case concerned the entire European Union (EU), an action rejected by the Kremlin to consider politicized, amid efforts by Western powers to reduce Russian influence and prevent the construction of new ways to bring gas to Europe.
Now, the EC document Gazprom believes that damages the interests of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary. The first four are among the most active in demanding more sanctions against Russia.
In the case of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which claimed an alleged Russian threat to request the deployment of additional forces there the Atlantic alliance, the dependence on Russian gas is nearly hundred percent.
Moscow clarifies that the construction of pipelines, including North Torrente (North Stream), which connects directly to plants in Russia Germany is borne almost entirely of that gas company.
In addition, the European bloc used the argument of the need for European standards to reconcile agreements with Bulgaria and Hungary on the South Stream gas pipeline ( South Stream) to carry gas from Russia through the Black Sea to Europe.
Finally, to pressure from the leadership of the EU, these states canceled arrangements for working with affiliates Gazprom, which forced Russia to suspend South Stream and seek a compromise with Turkey, local media said.
The EC considers that gas tariffs set by Gazprom to those countries, which represents averaged over 50 percent of the market, resale of fuel to third countries is prevented.
Slovakia and the Czech Republic sold since last year gas to Ukraine, whose government has strong debt to Russia by the supply of that product, in turn, passes through the Ukrainian pipeline system to Europe.
Gazprom supplies over 25 percent of the gas consumed throughout the EU.
acl / to
No comments:
Post a Comment