MOSCOW, October 16. /TASS/. Gazprom Export filed a claim with the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region to prohibit the Polish-Russian company Europol GAZ from continuing arbitration proceedings in Stockholm, according to the Russian court’s files.
Europol GAZ owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline.
Gazprom Export's statement of claim concerns a ban on Europol GAZ "to continue arbitration proceedings at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce." The court accepted this application and scheduled a hearing of the arbitration court of first instance for October 26.
In May, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Control of State Assets Jacek Sasin said that Europol GAZ had filed a claim in arbitration at the Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm against the Russian company Gazprom for 6 billion zlotys (over $1.4 billion).
As he explained, Europol GAZ, which is responsible for gas transit, filed a claim in arbitration against Gazprom for compensation of about 850 million zlotys (approximately $220 million) of the outstanding debt for gas transportation. Europol GAZ also intends to receive from Gazprom another more than 5 billion zlotys (approximately $1.2 billion) for "lost profits" due to the fact that "it is not currently sending Russian gas."
Gazprom halted supplies of natural gas to Poland more than a year ago, as Poland refused to pay for gas in rubles.
In October, the Polish energy company Orlen announced that it would take over the management of Europol GAZ. Orlen stated that on October 9, 2023, the head of the Competition and Consumer Authority, following an antitrust investigation, decided to consent to the merger, with Orlen taking control of the Europol GAZ gas transit pipeline system.
The Europol GAZ company is a joint venture between Gazprom and the Polish PGNiG, which is the owner of the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. At the same time, the operator of this section of the pipe, as well as the entire gas transmission system of Poland, is the Polish company Gaz-System. Last November, Poland transferred Gazprom shares in Europol GAZ under compulsory management due to the company being included in the Polish sanctions list.
On April 26, Poland published its sanctions list against Russia and Belarus, which includes more than 50 items, both companies and individuals. The list included, in particular, Gazprom. Later, under the pretext of protecting national interests, the Polish authorities began to transfer Russian property under compulsory management and then transfer it to Polish companies.