Gazprom Appealed the Nord Stream 2 Decision in Polish Court

Gazprom appealed against the Polish Office for Protection of Competition and Consumer Rights over the restriction for the Russian company to get access to evidence collected during the investigation of the alleged Gazprom and foreign investors concentration in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (Nord Stream 2). RBC writes about this with reference to the reporting of the Russian company for the first half of 2020. On August 3, the Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Authority fined Gazprom for refusing to provide data on the Nord Stream 2 project. The amount of the fine amounted to 213 million zlotys, which is equivalent to 50 million euros, according to the statement of the Polish competition authority. This is the maximum legally possible amount. The reason for the fine was Gazprom's refusal to provide data on contracts concluded by Nord Stream 2, a subsidiary of a Russian corporation, with European companies financing the construction of the pipeline. The Polish antimonopoly authority is investigating the actions of six European companies, including Gazprom, accusing them of creating a consortium to finance the construction of the gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea without the necessary Polish side’s permission. Formally, Nord Stream 2 is being built not by a consortium, but by a company fully controlled by Gazprom, which attracts funds from European companies as loans. However, Warsaw insists that we are still talking about a consortium that violates antitrust laws. Poland, like a number of other EU countries, opposes the construction of Nord Stream 2, considering it a means of political pressure from Russia on the European Union and Ukraine. The gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea has not been completed yet. Its construction was interrupted late last year due to US sanctions and has not yet been resumed. In November 2019, the regulator fined French Engie PLN 172 million, or € 40.3 million, for failure to provide information regarding the case.