Gazprom and the complexity of the EU gas market: a strategy to define

Sadek Boussena , Catherine Locatelli (1)

1 GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble

Confronted with an increasingly competitive market in the European Union and the credible threat of a new entrant in the form of liquefied natural gas imports from the United States, Gazprom’s traditional export strategy is open to question. The company must decide whether it should launch a price war in order passively to adapt to impending competition and its role as a ‘residual supplier’ to the EU gas market, or whether it should take advantage of the current price uncertainty. This article explores the scope for long-term strategic action by Gazprom other than simply engaging in a price war. It is argued that Gazprom could forge a position as a key player in the EU gas market capable of playing the same role as Saudi Arabia does in the global oil market.

Mots clés: Gazprom; Russia; LNG; Gas; EU; competition

Domaines: Economies et finances

Sadek Boussena, Catherine Locatelli. Gazprom and the complexity of the EU gas market: a strategy to define. Post-Communist Economies, 2017, 29 (4), pp.549 - 564. ⟨10.1080/14631377.2017.1349667⟩. ⟨hal-01618494⟩