EU Adds Fuel to Gazprom Fire

摘要

The EU's decision last week to charge Gazprom with market abuse adds further tensions to a relationship already strained by the situation in Ukraine. After raiding the Russian gas firm's offices in 2011, the EU mounted a full antitrust investigation in 2012 and was reportedly close to filing charges last autumn before drawing back, perhaps for fear of inviting retaliation ahead of winter (WGI Sep.12'12). But fresh from grappling with US giant Google, EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager on Apr. 22 gave Gazprom 12 weeks, until mid-July, to respond to three key charges either orally or in writing.