The Minister of Finance believes that at a time of consolidation of public finances, it will save a few tens of millions of euros in the state budget and other politicians will give satisfaction with their cries about banning support for oligarchs with heated swimming pools. However, with the introduction of fair targeted energy aid, it will not be as easy as politicians imagine. An already important state authority in the energy sector, such as the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (URSO), is telling all „wise men“ that finding a fair meter for energy aid is almost impossible. According to the regulatory authority, the basic problem is what energy experts have been saying for several years. Slovakia has not even clearly defined what energy poverty is. Who falls under energy poverty and therefore has the most moral right to state energy aid. Let’s be honest, there is no uniform definition of energy poverty in the entire European Union.
„I consider the fact that there is currently no uniform definition of energy poverty at the European Union level to be a major problem. This means that each member state must resolve this issue on its own. Slovakia does not yet have a legislatively regulated concept of energy poverty, although we, as the URSO, have developed draft definitions in the past and submitted them to the Slovak governments in 2014 and 2022,“ said the chairman of the URSO, Jozef Holjencik. Responsibility for solving energy poverty is divided among the regulatory authority, the ministries of economy, finance, social affairs and family. According to the URSO, finding a solution means having the courage to develop and implement fundamental changes in primary Slovak legislation. The regulatory authority also points out the issue of fairness in determining households falling into energy poverty. When setting fair energy poverty, the state will have difficulty determining the red line between a pensioner and an oligarch heating his pool.
