Europe Has Tamed Gazprom, Not Let It Off the Hook

The European Commission has settled a seven-year antitrust dispute with Gazprom, which was required to make concessions but avoided a fine. Although the Russian natural gas monopoly's detractors in Eastern Europe are likely to say Europe caved, the settlement announced Thursday shows that the company has been defanged and is no longer a threat to Europe’s energy security. Margrethe Vestager, the European Union’s competition commissioner, has demanded billions of dollars in fines from U.S. tech companies such as Apple and Google.