Gazprom Warns EU It May Seek New Markets

Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller (left) told EU ambassadors Gazprom may seek new markets (epa)

April 20, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The Russian energy giant Gazprom has warned the European Union against blocking its plans for expansion in Europe.

A Gazprom statement says CEO Aleksei Miller told EU ambassadors on April 18 that the company may seek alternative markets elsewhere if it is prevented from developing operations in Europe.

The warning came after British competition regulators proposed changing takeover rules amid market speculation Gazprom may bid for the country's largest gas distributor, Centrica.

A spokesman for EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said today that Gazprom's statement confirmed EU concerns about the bloc's dependency on foreign energy supplies.

(with material from Reuters)