BRATISLAVA, February 2, (WEBNOVINY) — Slovakia will not implement Third Energy Package into its legal system for now because Parliament failed to pass the draft bill on the energy industry on Thursday. As a result, Economy Minister Juraj Miskov withdrew from the agenda the draft bill on regulation in network industries. Miskov warned that Slovakia is now likely to face penalties from the European Commission (EC) because the EU legislation was to be transposed until March 2011. “We may end up at court by June and be sanctioned,” Miskov told MPs. The EC opened infringement proceedings against Slovakia already in late September 2011 when it sent a letter of formal notice to the Slovak Economy Ministry .
Following the implementation of the Third Energy Package, consumers should be able to switch electricity or gas suppliers within three weeks and free of charge. The adoption of the law will entitle consumers of electricity and natural gas to withdraw from a supply contract within seven days of the contract conclusion, a special period provided to consumers to make up their minds about their energy supplier. The draft bill offers a new definition of vulnerable energy consumers.
The draft also comes up with new unbundling alternatives, i.e., the separation of production and supplies from the transmission or transport grids in the form of full ownership unbundling. Gas production and supply will be separated from transmission grid though Independent Transmission Operation.
Rules included in Third Energy Package are primarily meant to enhance the liberalization of the gas and electricity markets, consumer rights and powers and independence of regulators.
Economy Minister Juraj Miskov (SaS) opines that Parliament’s failure to approve the Third Energy Package is a “black day for Slovak consumers”. “Both bills on energy and network industry regulation were strongly pro-consumer and pro-people pieces of legislation,” Miskov told a news conference on Thursday. He blames the failure to endorse the energy bills on SDKU-DS MPs who did not back them. He said that that SDKU-DS voting was politicking as “the Cabinet endorsed the laws before while also ministers for SDKU-DS voted for these laws”.
SaS MP Martin Chren thinks that this SDKU’DS’s position is a revenge on the Economy Minister for having proposed dismissal of the head of the government privatization agency (FNM) Anna Bubenikova from the post. A law very important for consumers thus failed due to politicking of those who speak about responsibility in politics, he argued. „Real steps however do not mirror and show this responsibility,“ said Chren.
SITA