Gazprom is No Microsoft

Eurpean Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs struck a more conciliatory tone in regards to Gazprom and its competition at a news conference today, "Do we treat Gazprom as we treat Microsoft? Yes we do. The difference is that Microsoft has 100 percent of the market," Piebalgs told a news conference in the Latvian capital Riga. "That is why we do not take measures against Gazprom, there is no need. They do not play a big enough role in the market." These comments are in contrast to his comments made earlier during the unveiling of the new European Union energy policy package.