Baltic States – CIS, Energy, Gas, Legislation, Lithuania

“Gazprom filed an appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania via the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court on November 23, which was the last day of the appeal period,” Sigita Jacineviciene-Baltaduone, spokeswoman for the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court, told BNS.

The Vilnius Regional Administrative Court on November 9 dismissed Gazprom's appeal contesting the 35.7-million-euro fine, which was levied in June 2014 after a two-year investigation launched after an unsuccessful attempt by Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba (Lithuanian Energy Production, or LEG) to conclude a natural gas swap deal with the Russian gas supplier.

According to the court, a condition tied to Gazprom's acquisition of a 34 percent stake in Lietuvos Dujos (Lithuanian Gas) back in 2004 laid down a clear obligation for the Russian company not to create barriers for Lithuanian consumers to buy gas from other suppliers. Therefore, Gazprom's refusal to negotiate with LEG (formerly Lietuvos Energija) prevented it from doing so and made it possible for the Russian company to maintain its position as the sole gas supplier.