"I am sure to have some shale gas option is a good instrument for our long-term negotiations to Gazprom and Russia," Oettinger told Vilnius journalists after meeting with Lithuania's Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius.
The commissioner stressed the need of eliminating the Russian gas monopoly for Lithuania, underlining the importance of alternatives that could be ensured by gas links with Poland and the liquefied natural gas terminal.
"It is unacceptable that gas prices in Lithuania are 20, 30, or 40 percent higher than those in neighboring states or in my country Germany," he added.
"100 percent long term is not acceptable because your government has a weak position. And to come into a better position for the next negotiations we need new pipelines, we need reverse flow from Poland to here, we need some LNG gas in the bigger region and maybe shale gas can be an additional instrument," Oettinger said.
Lithuania's parliament is currently discussing laws on higher taxes on shale gas and stricter environmental requirements for shale gas exploration. The amendments were drafted amid the government's debates on signing a contract with US energy company Chevron on shale gas exploration in western Lithuania.
Gazprom must play by Europe's rules
Russian gas supplier Gazprom is welcome in Europe, but will have to play by the European rules, Oettinger says.
"Gazprom will be welcome in Europe but it will have to meet our rules of the game, just as, for example, Statoil does. The commission is analyzing the situation and will provide its data of the analysis," Oettinger said at a meeting with members of the Lithuanian parliamentary committees of European Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
Gazprom's gas supplies account for a third of energy markets in EU countries, according to the commissioner, adding that Lithuania should also aspire to the ratio.
In his words, the European Commission supports Lithuania's efforts to seek lower gas prices.
"It is our objective to achieve that the gas price for Vilnius are the same as they are in Berlin or the Hague," Oettinger said.
Last August, the European Commission opened a probe into possible violations of the anti-monopoly law by Gazprom.
News about potential abuse of market dominance by Gazprom may come in six to twelve months, Oettinger has said.
“No, at the moment it's not on our political level, it's work done by our experts in an objective manner, and we have to wait and see. We don't want to influence this process, it must be objective, fair and independent. I will say, maybe in six or twelve months, it's up to our expert level, and then we will see their advice" the commissioner said at a news conference in Vilnius.
Gazprom said that the average 2012 gas price for Europe and other countries stood at 1,020 litas (EUR 295.7) including customs taxes per 1,000 cubic meters, i.e., 6.3 percent up from 2011. The price paid by Lithuania for the Russian gas is 20-30 percent higher than that paid by other European states.
