Włostowski: It is a pity the EC has to resort to drastic measures to free Poland’s gas market

The European Commission is suing Poland for restricting access to its gas market. Government representatives defend the shape of the market where Orlen’s PGNiG has significant influence. However, there are also opponents who welcome the initiative of the Commission with relief. “It is a pity that the fight to liberate the Polish market requires such drastic steps on the part of the European Commission and that it is happening so late,” says Tomasz Włostowski, managing partner of the Brussels law firm EU STRATEGIES, in a comment for BiznesAlert.pl.

“The European Commission’s decision to end the real monopoly on the Polish gas market is great for the entire energy-intensive sector in Poland, for many individual companies that use gas for production or that need it for energy purposes, as well as for Poland’s economy at large,” Włostowski told BizesAlert.pl. “It is only a pity that the struggle for the liberation of the Polish market requires such drastic steps on the part of the European Commission and that it is happening so late,” he stated.

“It is worth adding that the EU is striving for the greatest possible liquefaction of the gas market in the EU and for this purpose it has created a special instrument for aggregating demand by smaller players, which, unfortunately, turned out to be unrealistic on many EU domestic markets, including the Polish one, precisely because of the actual difficulties new players are experiencing when trying to enter this market. So it will be crucial for the new government to free up the market, allow gas consumers to buy it directly at source, and avoid the temptation to give the domestic gas giant continued preferences. In Poland, we think too little about the interests of customers and consumers, which undermines the competitiveness of entire sectors of the economy and drains the pockets of all Poles,” the lawyer explained.

The European Commission claims in its complaint to the Court of Justice of the European Union against Poland that the requirements imposed on importers and traders storing natural gas outside Poland do not comply with the EU regulation on security of gas supply.

The Commission points out that “the Polish law on stocks imposes on importers and traders of natural gas stored outside Poland the obligation to ensure the possibility of delivering at all times the total mandatory stocks of natural gas to the national transmission or distribution network and reserve continuous transmission capacity to the country if need be”.

Compiled by Wojciech Jakóbik