The position taken by Finance Minister Andrzej Domański regarding the enforcement of a fine imposed on Gazprom has surprised Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), which announced that it will conduct a legal analysis of the situation. The finance minister maintains that he is not blocking the enforcement of the funds and says the matter concerns procedural doubts.
Puls Biznesu reported on Thursday that Poland will not enforce the legally binding fine of PLN 174.5 million imposed on Gazprom for obstructing UOKiK’s investigation into the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański, however, said that he is not preventing the recovery of the funds and that the issue stems from formal procedural concerns.
UOKiK stressed that the finance minister’s position came as a surprise.
“Under Article 19(1) of the Act on Administrative Enforcement Proceedings, the enforcement of administrative financial penalties imposed by the President of UOKiK is carried out by the Head of the Warsaw-Śródmieście Tax Office, which operates under the authority of the Minister of Finance. Therefore, it is not the President of UOKiK who is responsible for collecting the fine from Gazprom, but the services subordinate to Finance Minister Andrzej Domański,” the authority said in a statement.
UOKiK emphasized that, as the creditor, it had fulfilled all obligations required under the law. It also noted that Minister Domański, while referring to “formal doubts,” did not explain how he intends to recover the funds owed to the state budget.
“We maintain our position that the legally binding fine should be effectively enforced and that the funds owed to the State Treasury should be transferred to the state budget. Differences in the interpretation of procedural regulations do not change the fact that there is a valid enforcement order that should be executed. From the perspective of the public interest, the most important issue is to develop a solution that will enable the effective recovery of the debt from Gazprom,” UOKiK added.
In 2020, the President of UOKiK imposed a €50 million fine – equivalent to more than PLN 213 million at the time – on Gazprom for failing to provide requested information during proceedings concerning the establishment of the consortium financing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
In July 2024, the Polish antitrust authority prevailed against Gazprom before the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection, which upheld the UOKiK President’s decision but reduced the penalty to the equivalent of €41 million, or approximately PLN 174 million.
In August 2025, the Court of Appeal upheld the first-instance ruling.