According to a source in the European Parliament, a group of approximately 40 deputies sent a letter to the European Commission on Friday, requesting it to investigate Gazprom‘s conduct, which reportedly drove gas prices up to a record high in Europe, from the standpoint of EU antimonopoly standards.
The EC acknowledged a receipt of the letter but noted that the unprecedented rise in gas prices in Europe is due to objective reasons, TASS reports.
According to the source, a group of 40 European parliamentarians from Poland and the Baltic states has submitted an official request to the European Commission to conduct an antimonopoly inquiry against Gazprom for acts that may have contributed to the rise in gas prices in Europe.
On the same day, Vivian Loonela, another European Commission spokeswoman, stated that the EC sees the rise in gas prices in Europe as a result of a variety of objective causes.
The prolonged still in the North Sea, which resulted in a multifold drop in energy output at offshore wind-driven generators, was among other factual causes mentioned by both European and Russian specialists, but which the EC decided not to mention.
Furthermore, prices were bumped up by a lack of potential to expand production in Europe, notably in Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, as well as the majority of LNG supplies expected by EU states moving to Asia in 2021, where the economic recovery following the 2020 slump prompted an upsurge in energy requirements.
On Wednesday, the spot price of natural gas reached an all-time high, nearly hitting $970 per 1,000 cubic meters at its peak. However, by the end of trade, the price had plummeted to approximately $800 per 1,000 cubic meters. On Thursday, the losses accelerated as the price approached $735 per 1,000 cubic meters.
