According to Financial Times, Gazprom will undertake obligations on changing the business practice in EU, while the fine will not be imposed on the company – INTERFAX.RU reports.

Gazprom and the European Commission are close to the approval of draft agreement, which should end the five years lasting antimonopoly investigation in regard to the Russian company, Financial Times reports. However, although the technical details of the agreement are elaborated, the case is seriously complicated by the policy and worsened relationships with Moscow and Brussels.

European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager and Deputy Chairman of the Russian company Alexander Medvedev will expectedly conduct the meeting this week, in order to approve the draft agreement and even give the signal that the parties are close to it.

The press-office of European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager did not confirm to Interfax that she has meeting with Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev this week. ”At this stage, we do not comment it”, as it was told to the agency in Brussels on Monday. 

According to FT data, within the deal Gazprom will undertake obligations on changing business practice in EU, while the fine is not imposed on the company. According to newspaper sources, the slight amendments are provided on the most sensitive question: in regard to the alleged abuse of the dominating position through conclusions of long-term contracts for gas supplies with pegging their price with oil price.

However, some EU countries can be against such agreement. 

IN 2012, EC initiated investigation on the potential violation by Gazprom of the antimonopoly legislation of the European Union, as per the results of which in April 2015, EC filed the official Statement of Objections. EC names three anti-competition practices, in which the Russian company is suspected: Gazprom, probably, divided gas markets, impeding free gas flow through the territories of member states, probably, impeded the diversification of gas supplies as well as could set unfair prices for their clients, pegging gas prices to oil prices”. On September 28, 2015, Gazprom forwarded to EC a written reply to the Statement of Objections within antimonopoly investigation of its activities in EU countries, in which it did not admit guilt in any of cases.