“We know that from experience, German partners have offered us a possibility to purchase gas at lower prices as well, yet Gazprom does not let us get cheaper gas by holding up the development of infrastructure and by other measures,” he said in an interview to the Žinių Radijas radio station on Tuesday.
He added that he expected the European Commission’s (EC) response to Gazprom to be strong enough.
“The latest statements from the Commission’s officials, both anonymous and public, imply that a claim being prepared is serious enough, a letter to Russia, saying that they abused their dominance, may harm Gazprom’s interests in the European Union considerably. It means that such a decision, if it is adopted, will open up a possibility for thousands or even tens of thousands of users to file private claims for damages. It’s really anxious time for Gazprom now,” the adviser said.
According to Udrėnas, Gazprom would have to prove that it no longer abused its dominant position.
“This new decision by the Commission would open a new page in pursuit of fair prices for users in Europe, including Lithuania,” he added.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said in Vilnius last Friday that the gas giant would reduce the price of gas for Lithuania if the country agreed to negotiate ‘integrated cooperation’ and the negotiations were to include Gazprom’s investments in Lithuania, its transit of gas to Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad and commercial issues.
Official reports said that Miller and Lithuania’s Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius had not reached any decisions last Friday and the negotiators would continue talks after receiving written proposals from Gazprom.
