European Commission stresses reciprocity to Gazprom

THE EUROPEAN Commission has made its boldest statement yet in defiance of Gazprom's ambitions to expand throughout the continent's downstream. The new measures, revealed last month, are designed to defend the interests of European energy companies and consumers and would prohibit any foreign company from buying control of energy assets in the European Union (EU) unless that company's government guaranteed the rights of European companies to do the same in its own country. While the Commission claimed that it was not targeting its proposal at any specific company or country, foremost in its collective thinking are Gazprom and Russia. The Russian gas monopoly has made no secret of its ambition