EU competition chief Vestager to announce antitrust decision on Thursday

[May 24, 2018]  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager will hold a news conference on Thursday to announce an antitrust decision, which is expected to be on Gazprom <GAZP.MM>.

European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager holds a news conference at the EU Commission's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo

The European Commission said in a statement that Vestager would hold a news conference, indicating it was likely to be at around 1200 CET (1000 GMT), on an antitrust decision, without specifying the subject.

The Commission is expected to end a seven-year-long investigation into Gazprom after the Russian gas company agreed to reforms aimed at bringing down gas prices in eastern Europe and paving the way for rivals in the region.

Reuters was the first to report on April 3 about the deal between the EU competition enforcer and Gazprom, which supplies about a third of the EU's gas and contributes 9 percent of Russian gross domestic product.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop)

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