UOKiK worried about Nord Stream 2

Poland's antimonopoly watchdog UOKiK said that launching a joint venture by Russia's Gazprom and five European companies (E.ON, Wintershall, Shell, OMV and Engie) responsible for the construction of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would undermine competition. "The Office found that the concentration might lead to restriction of competition. At the moment Gazprom has a dominant position with respect to transmission of gas to Poland, and the planned transaction could further strengthen the company's negotiating position with regard to users in Poland," the watchdog informed. The office added that its objections do not determine the decision that would be eventually issued in the case. In 2015, Gazprom and its European partners agreed the Nord Stream 2 project, which would pump gas from Russia to Germany, and sent a filing to UOKiK requesting clearance of the joint venture.