This study was initiated by the UNECE Gas Centre based on the priority given by its member companies1) to have some aggregated information available on the present situation on the gas market and its structures in Europe and how companies are changing, as well as on the position of gas regulators and the position of the European Commission. The Gas Centre companies were interested in this information coming from the gas industries themselves and to have their expectations on future developments included.

This report of the UNECE Gas Centre Task Force on Company and Market Structures (UNCMS) is largely based on information, received through 34 questionnaires, which were returned to the Gas Centre from gas companies(in some cases together with energy institutes) in European ECE countries. Information was added by the Gas Centre staff out of its own sources as well as from EU and IEA publications and the discussions that took place during the UNCMS meetings.

When reference is made in this report to EU-countries, de facto 22 countries are included (Iceland, Malta and Cyprus do not have natural gas markets). The other ECE-countries in this report, which are referred to as non-EU countries are Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Moldova, Norway, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine. They are outside the EU but directly related to the gas market in the EU.

The information from the questionnaires was handled, further structured and prepared for analysis by Ms. Machteld Venken, internee of the UNECE Gas Centre in the period October-December 2004. Her work provided for a useful basis for this report.

[The report has been approved by the UNECE Gas Centre Bureau under the Chairmanship of Mr. Jacques Deyirmendjian on behalf of all Gas Centre member companies. The head of the IREED Division of the UNECE, Mr. George Kowalski, has expressed his appreciation of this report.]