FOI-R--3990--SE_reducerad

FOI-R--3990--SE
3.10.1 Gas
Russian influence over energy policy in Estonia and the Baltic states is most
apparent when it comes to the gas sector. Like Finland, they are all completely
dependent on Russian imports (see Table 3).
Table 3: Gross consumption of natural gas and imports from Russia in the Baltic states and
Finland, billion cubic meters (bcm) 158
2011 2012
Consumption Imports Consumption Imports
Estonia 632 632 658 657
Latvia 1,604 1,755 1,508 1,716
Lithuania 3,398 3,407 3,318 3,320
Total Baltic
states
5,634 5,794 5,484 5,693
Finland 4,106 4,060 3,681 3,612
Total 9,740 9,854 9,165 9,305
Since Russia has a monopoly over gas supplies, the prices in the region are
determined by Gazprom. At times this has had a considerable impact on the
Baltic states, as Russia has tried to use gas prices to influence politics.
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition has launched a
formal investigation into what it calls violations of EU antitrust laws by Gazprom
in Central and Eastern Europe. Gazprom was accused of dividing European gas
markets by hindering the free flow of gas across member states, preventing
diversification of the gas supply and imposing unfair prices on its customers by
158 See Statistics Estonia, Lithuanian Official Statistics Portal, Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia,
EIA.
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