Polish regulator threatens to sue ‘Gazprom’ for refusing to cooperate in anti-monopoly investigation

Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKik) is threatening to sue Russian energy giant “Gazprom” for 50 million euros (approximately $56 million), for its refusal to share materials with an anti-monopoly investigation connected to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. 

“Gazprom can’t act outside of the law,” said UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny, announcing the start of the process of imposing fines.

UOKiK has been conducting an anti-monopoly investigation linked to Nord Stream 2 for several years. In 2019, the Polish regulator fined one company involved in the project, “Engie,” 40 million euros (that’s about $45 million today) for refusing to share documents and other necessary information needed for the investigation.

Poland has long maintained that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will facilitate the export of Russian gas, will strengthen Gazprom’s dominant position in the European energy market, and thereby threaten the European Union’s energy security. 

The United States has also opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2, and introduced sanctions against companies involved in the project. The European Union has criticized this decision.