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Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into restrictions to the free flow of gas sold by Qatar Petroleum in Europe.
Citar: elDial.com - CC5389
Copyright 2024 - elDial.com - editorial albrematica - Tucumán 1440 (1050) - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires - Argentina
Texto Completo
Antitrust: Commission opens investigation into
restrictions to the free
flow of gas sold by Qatar Petroleum in Europe.
Summary:
The
European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether
supply
agreements between Qatar Petroleum companies exporting liquefied
natural gas
(LNG) and European importers have hindered the free flow of gas within
the
European Economic Area (EEA), in breach of EU antitrust rules.
Commissioner
Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "Energy
should
flow freely within Europe, regardless of where it comes from. We have
opened an
investigation to look at whether there are problematic territorial
restriction
clauses in gas supply contracts with Qatar Petroleum. Such clauses may
harm competition
and prevent consumers from enjoying the benefits of an integrated
European
energy market."
Qatar
Petroleum is the largest exporter of LNG globally and to Europe,
controlling
several companies that produce and export LNG to Europe. The Commission
will
further investigate whether Qatar Petroleum's long-term agreements
(typically
20 or 25 years) for the supply of LNG into the EEA contain direct
and/or
indirect territorial restrictions.
In
particular, certain clauses contained in these agreements appear to,
directly
or indirectly, restrict the EEA importers' freedom to sell the LNG in
alternative destinations within the EEA. For example, some contractual
clauses
prevent any diversion of cargoes to another destination or restrict the
territories to which diversion can take place or the volumes that can
be
diverted. As a result, these clauses may unduly limit the free flow of
LNG sold
by Qatar Petroleum in the EEA, segmenting the EU's internal gas market.
If
proven, such practices may breach EU antitrust rules, specifically on
anticompetitive agreements between companies (Article 101 of the Treaty
on the
Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)) and/or on the abuse of a
dominant
market position (Article 102 TFEU) and Article 53 and/or 54 of the
Agreement on
the EEA.
The
Commission will now carry out its in-depth investigation as a matter of
priority. An opening by the Commission of a formal investigation does
not
prejudge its outcome.
Links:
More information on the
investigation will be available on the Commission's competition
website, in the
public case register under the case number AT.40416.
http://ec.europa.eu/competition/elojade/isef/case_details.cfm?proc_code=1_40416
Follow-up study to the LNG and
storage strategy (226 pages):
https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/follow_up_study_lng_storage_final_01.pdf
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Citar: elDial.com - CC5389
Copyright 2024 - elDial.com - editorial albrematica - Tucumán 1440 (1050) - Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires - Argentina
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