Russia: Gazprom’s Medvedev to meet Vestager before antitrust hearing

Gazprom’s deputy chief executive is expected to meet EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager next month in a meeting that could determine the outcome of the EU’s case against the Russian gas giant, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The Russian state-controlled company is fighting accusations of over-charging customers and blocking rivals in eastern Europe, a case which could end in a hefty fine and changes to its business model.

At the same time, Gazprom has sought to appease the European Commission by offering concessions to try to avert a penalty and a finding of wrongdoing. But sources said the two sides are far apart on the issue of pricing.

The talks would be Alexander Medvedev’s second meeting with Vestager and they would take place against a backdrop of high tension between Russia and the West over Syria and the country’s much-criticized plan to bypass Ukraine and extend its Nord Stream gas link to Germany.

The company, which supplies around a third of the 28-country bloc’s gas, will defend its case at a closed-door hearing on Dec. 15, Bloomberg reported.

Full content: Bloomberg

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