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Gazprom and EC to hold meeting on antitrust case in Brussels — source

The meeting will be held behind closed doors without any press statements

BRUSSELS, March 9. /TASS/. Meeting between Gazprom Deputy Head Alexander Medvedev and the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager on antitrust investigation will take place in Brussels on March 9, a source in Brussels confirmed the information to TASS.

"The EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager will hold a meeting with the representative of Gazprom, Alexander Medvedev," the source said. According to him, the meeting will be held behind closed doors without any press statements.

Gazprom and the European Commission has not announced the visit of Medvedev to Brussels. However, according to his press service, the European Climate and Energy Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete scheduled the meeting with Alexander Medvedev in Brussels on March 10, thus the European Commission practically confirmed the meeting.

On 22 April 2015, the European Commission said it sent an official "statement of objections" within the European antitrust investigation started in 2012 to Gazprom. The EC suspects Gazprom of abusing its leading position on the European gas market, and also has questions to its system of long-term contracts and pricing system.

The penalty for the case can be up to 10% of Gazprom’s proceeds, i.e. €7-8 bln, but the European Commission and Gazprom are considering the possibility of settling the dispute.