Poland’s antimonopoly watchdog has reportedly said a joint venture by
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and five European companies – France’s
Engie, Austria’s OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany’s Uniper and
Wintershall – responsible for the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas
pipeline would undermine competition.
“Our prospective shareholders have to follow merger control
procedures in Poland,” a Nord Stream spokesman told New Europe on July
25.
The companies involved in Nord Stream 2 said they are preparing a joint response.
Gazprom expects Poland to issue Nord Stream-2 approval on August 31.
Earlier the companies jointly applied to the Polish regulator for the
approval of their joint participation in Nord Stream 2 AG. On July 19,
the Polish regulator handed its statement on objections regarding the
planned joint venture, according to TASS.
“Currently, the applicants are preparing a joint response to the
statement. The decision of the Polish anti-monopoly regulator cannot be
taken before the statutory period for the preparation of a response to
the statement of objections expires,” the companies’ statement said.
Participants of the joint venture have 14 days to appeal the decision
of the regulator. This period may be extended at their request for
another two weeks.
The Nord Stream-2 projects includes the construction of two lines of
the offshore gas pipeline with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic
metres of gas a year from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, in
addition to the existing two lines.
Poland as well as a number of Central and Eastern European states
have criticised plans to build Nord Stream 2 and have urged the European
Commission to block the project.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/polish-watchdog-says-nord-stream-2-undermines-competition/