Joint Gas Purchasing
Due to the one-sided dependence of many Central and Eastern European Member States of the EU on Russian gas imports, the options for joint gas purchasing from non-EU countries are currently discussed. This cepInput describes the economic impacts of mandatory as well as voluntary joint gas purchasing mechanisms in the EU and explains the legal preconditions for joint gas purchasing associations.
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Gas purchasing associations may improve the bargaining position of EU gas importers vis-à-vis gas export companies from non-EU countries such as Gazprom and limit their ability to conduct price discrimination in the EU gas market. However, they constitute demand cartels which distort competition in the internal gas market and reduce the incentives to invest in the cross-border gas infrastructure.
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