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Lukoil’s ex-state assets may be protected from forced access, EU court opinion says

By Lewis Crofts ( July 10, 2025, 10:37 GMT | Insight) -- Lukoil’s acquisition of depots and pipelines in a Bulgarian privatization process doesn’t automatically mean antitrust investigators can ignore strict legal criteria when forcing access to the assets, according to a legal opinion prepared for the EU Court of Justice. The key is examining the company’s ownership and control of the assets, and the simple fact that it didn’t build the infrastructure itself doesn’t necessarily exclude a legal test, known as Bronner, that sets a high bar for forcing access to “essential facilities.”Lukoil’s acquisition of depots and pipelines in a Bulgarian privatization process doesn’t automatically mean antitrust investigators can ignore strict legal criteria when forcing access to the assets, according to a legal opinion prepared for the EU's top court....

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