Spiegel journalists give kudos to Gazprom

The Russian gas giant Gazprom remains a major economic player and retains authority among European customers, journalists of the Spiegel magazine said on Friday. The statement came a week after Gazprom’s offices in the Czech Republic and Germany were raided by representatives of the European Commission.    

According to German journalists, it is hardly possible to question the fact that Gazprom remains a leading world gas concern.

Stephan Meister, a Berlin-based Eastern Europe expert, cites, among other things, Gazprom’s assertiveness on the global markets, which, he says, prompted EU raids.

"To my mind, what we are witnessing now is little more than a massive campaign, initiated by the European Commission, Meister says, referring to the raids. A key economic player, Gazprom is now facing pressure, which aims to show that the Russian gas export monopoly allegedly has other interests, the German expert concludes."

Europeans have repeatedly associated Russia with a bear sitting on the pipe – something that eventually resulted in the demonization of Russia’s and Gazprom’s political image, according to Konstantin Simonov, a Moscow-based energy expert.

"The repercussions are already there, Simonov says, citing Russia’s ever-fading clout on European markets and  lamenting the usage of the Russia-is-bad mantra."

Analysts point to ordinary people in EU countries, who see Gazprom as a reliable energy supplier. As for the European Commission, it should mind its own business, says Sergei Pikin, another Moscow-based energy expert.

"Instead of labeling Gazprom, the European Commission should grapple with the reliability of gas supplies and the economic evaluation of gas prices," Pikin contends.

Many Russian analysts, including Dmitry Alexandrov, believe that last week’s raids damaged the political image of the European Commission, not Gazprom’s.

"The raids rode roughshod over interests of ordinary people, major energy concerns and some national governments of Europe, Alexandrov says, warning against tarnishing Gazprom’s image. The Russian energy giant will never look like a victim because its image will prevent it from doing so. Significantly, Gazprom refrained from responding in kind to the raids, instead showing a flexible approach, which won international kudos, the Russian analyst wraps up."

Meanwhile, the future of the Nabucco project, billed as a main competitor of the South Stream gas pipeline, remains dim. Commercial banks indicate unwillingness to shore up the project, which is yet to find enough gas to fill the pipe. This certainly irks the European Commission, which does not think twice before politicizing economic issues, including Gazprom’s monopoly in Europe. Referring to the raids was apparently another attempt to do something about Gazprom’s European clout.

By Anna Forostenko

The Voice of Russia, October 7, 2011