Brussels, 27/09/2005 (Agence Europe) - The spokesperson for Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes reasserted on Tuesday when speaking to the press that the Commission was committed to promoting liberalisation of the gas market in Germany, although E.On Ruhrgas had earlier that day rejected a proposal from the German cartels office (Bundeskartellamt) on phasing out long-term gas supply contracts. “We have looked at the situation very carefully”, the spokesperson said, adding: “We support the efforts to open up competition on the German gas market” and “we regret E.On's decision”. Without giving any details on how the sector-specific inquiry by Commission competition services is developing on the energy market, the spokesperson simply recalled that these conclusions should be given “at the end of the year”. An official of the unit in charge of this dossier within DG Competition said, on Monday during a conference in Berlin, that the first results may possibly be submitted to ministers during the Energy Council on 1 December. We recall, moreover, that, in June this year, the Commission had opened an indepth inquiry into the E.On Ruhrgas project to acquire the activities of MOL, the dominant company in Hungary, identifying the risks for competition on the Hungarian market.