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Brussels/Ljubljana – The European Commission, in relation to the strained relationship between the government and the independent regulator Agency for Energy regarding the new network charge calculation methodology, announced on Tuesday that it has contacted the Slovenian authorities at both the political and technical levels and offered support from its services on issues related to compliance with EU legislation. On Thursday, the State Secretary at the competent ministry, Tina Seršen, was in Brussels and after talks with the Commission’s representatives said that the resolution of the remaining three members of the Agency for Energy’s board, announced by the government, is “no longer on the table”.
The introduction of the new network charge methodology in October 2024 has caused a significant increase in electricity prices for some household consumers, especially for those who have already adopted green technologies. The government demanded a return to the old system from the independent regulator, the Agency for Energy, and called on the board members to resign. Two did so, but three did not, prompting the government to announce that it would submit a proposal to the National Assembly for their dismissal.
The agency warned that the new system is professionally justified and consistent with the direction at the European level, while also presenting the position of the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (Acer), which supports it, and informed the European Commission about political pressures. At the beginning of the month, a letter from Brussels expressed concern about the developments and clearly stressed the independence of energy regulators in European legislation. The government denied the pressures and postponed the decision on the proposal to dismiss the remaining three board members who did not resign.
However, the government coalition this week submitted a bill to the parliamentary procedure that would allow household electricity consumers to pay a lower network charge for January and February in the most expensive time block. The Agency for Energy described it as an encroachment on the competences of the independent regulator and also assessed that it is professionally unfounded and selectively privileges certain groups. (January 21 and 23)