Case T-616/18: Judgment of the General Court of 2 February 2022 — Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo v Commission (Commitments by Gazprom) (Competition — Abuse of a dominant position — Gas markets of central and eastern Europe — Decision to make binding the individual commitments proposed by an undertaking — Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 — Whether the commitments are adequate in the light of the competition concerns initially identified in the statement of objections — Commission decision not to require commitments in relation to some of the initial concerns — Principle of sound administration — Transparency — Obligation to state reasons — Energy-policy objectives of the European Union — Principle of energy solidarity — Misuse of powers)
Date: 2022-02-02
Institutions: General Court
Subjects: Central and Eastern Europe, EU competition policy, EU energy policy, control of restrictive practices, dominant position, gas supply, natural gas, price of energy, restrictive trade practice, right to justice








C_2022128EN.01001501.xml










21.3.2022   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


C 128/15






Judgment of the General Court of 2 February 2022 — Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo v Commission (Commitments by Gazprom)
(Case T-616/18) (1)

(Competition - Abuse of a dominant position - Gas markets of central and eastern Europe - Decision to make binding the individual commitments proposed by an undertaking - Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 - Whether the commitments are adequate in the light of the competition concerns initially identified in the statement of objections - Commission decision not to require commitments in relation to some of the initial concerns - Principle of sound administration - Transparency - Obligation to state reasons - Energy-policy objectives of the European Union - Principle of energy solidarity - Misuse of powers)
(2022/C 128/20)
Language of the case: Polish

Parties


Applicant: Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo S.A. (Warsaw, Poland) (represented by: K. Karasiewicz, T. Kaźmierczak, K. Kicun and P. Moskwa, lawyers)

Defendant: European Commission (represented by: G. Meessen and J. Szczodrowski, acting as Agents)

Interveners in support of the applicant: Republic of Lithuania (represented by: K. Dieninis and R. Dzikovič, acting as Agents), Republic of Poland (represented by: B. Majczyna and M. Nowacki, acting as Agents), and Overgas Inc. (Sofia, Bulgaria) (represented by: S. Gröss and S. Cappellari, lawyers)

Interveners in support of the defendant: Gazprom PJSC (Moscow, Russia), and Gazprom export LLC (Saint Petersburg, Russia) (represented by: J. Karenfort, J. Hainz, B. Evtimov, N. Tuominen and J. Heithecker, lawyers, as well as D. O’Keeffe, Solicitor)

Re:

Application under Article 263 TFEU for annulment of Decision C(2018) 3106 final of the Commission of 24 May 2018 relating to a proceeding under Article 102 [TFEU] and Article 54 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT.39816 — Upstream Gas Supplies in Central and Eastern Europe).

Operative part of the judgment

The Court:






1.


Dismisses the action;










2.


Orders Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo S.A. to bear its own costs and to pay those incurred by the European Commission, Gazprom PJSC and Gazprom export LLC;










3.


Orders the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Poland and Overgas Inc. to bear their own respective costs.






(1)  OJ C 4, 7.1.2019.