The European Commission's antitrust probe against Russia 's OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) isn't politically motivated, said Joaquin Almunia, the commissioner for competition.

The European Union's executive body earlier this month launched an investigation into suspected efforts by Moscow 's state-controlled energy giant to lock up markets on the bloc's eastern flanks.

"We are not pursuing Gazprom for political reasons but to check if it has used its dominant position in eight Central and Eastern European countries," Mr. Almunia told reporters Thursday.

"We have to determine if Gazprom has used its position to create obstacles for entry of new entities on these markets, obstacles to free flow of gas, or set unfair prices," he added. "If we find this was the case, we will have to enforce EU rules accordingly."

Russia supplies more than a third of the natural gas the EU uses but it is the sole or dominant supplier to several countries in the EU's east, which before 1989 was under the Soviet Union 's control. According to a European Commission document, Gazprom is suspected of preventing gas exports within EU members and limiting customer choice of delivery points, as well as tying gas prices to the price of oil products.

Gazprom said earlier it considered the EU's investigation "pressure aimed at influencing prices" and an attempt to "solve the economic problems of the EU, in particular its new members in Eastern Europe , at the expense of Russia ." Russia 's President Vladimir Putin has called the EU's probe "unconstructive."

Polish gas firm PGNiG SA (PGN.WA) took Gazprom to an arbitration court seeking lower gas prices. The company pays what is sees as excessive prices for Russian gas, higher than the average prices paid by companies in neighboring Germany .

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