More than 40 members of the European Parliament have asked the European Commission to investigate the Russian energy giant Gazprom because they suspect the company of market manipulation in an attempt to pressure the European Union over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. European gas storage facilities have been more depleted than usual due to the cold winter and spring but Gazprom has refused to book more volume through existing pipelines. As a result, the price of natural gas rose from around $300 per 1,000 cubic meters in early 2021 to more than $800 for the same amount in September.