Romania clears sale of NIS’s Gazprom stations to Argenta
The Competition Council approved the takeover of NIS Petrol, which runs 19 forecourts, as the Serbian oil group faces US sanctions linked to its Russian majority shareholders.
Romania’s Competition Council has cleared Argenta’s acquisition of NIS Petrol, the Romanian subsidiary of Serbian oil company NIS, which operates 19 Gazprom-branded fuel stations in the country. The decision removes a key regulatory hurdle for NIS’s exit from the Romanian market.
NIS agreed in July to sell its entire stake in the subsidiary but did not name the buyer at the time. Argenta, a Romanian metal construction company, is controlled by entrepreneurs Iulian Stanciu, former head of e-commerce retailer eMAG, and Adrian Crețoiu, who hold 40% and 60% respectively. Financial terms were not disclosed, as reported by Serbia Energy.
Besides fuel retail, NIS Petrol has upstream interests in onshore exploration, field development, crude production and the wholesale trading of petroleum products. The regulator found no overlap between the parties’ activities and assessed the deal as a vertical integration, with both companies’ market shares below 30%.
The sale comes as NIS restructures under US sanctions imposed in January 2025 over its Russian ownership. Gazprom Neft holds 44.85% of the company and Intelligence, indirectly controlled by Gazprom, a further 11.3%. The Serbian government owns 29.87%. Washington has demanded the exit of the Russian shareholders, and Hungary’s MOL is in talks to acquire their stake. The Romanian divestment is separate from those negotiations.
