“The content of the draft government regulation is to cap gas supply prices for household customers and electricity and gas supply prices for selected vulnerable customers for 2025, at the level of 2024,” the TASR agency quoted from the approved material of the Ministry of Economy.
Slovakia receives gas from the Russian concern Gazprom on the basis of a long-term contract. At the end of this year, the contract on the transit of Russian gas to the European Union through Ukraine will expire, which does not count on its extension.
Fico believes that gas will continue to flow from the east
Prime Minister Fico made it clear that he expects the continuation of gas transit through Ukraine and Slovakia to Western Europe next year as well. “I believe that we will find a common solution for several countries of the European Union, even if gas supplies from the east were to be stopped for a short time,” said Fico after the cabinet meeting. According to the head of the Slovak government, offers for alternative gas supplies, including transit fees, are more expensive.
According to an earlier decision of the Slovak Energy Authority ÚRSO, families in the country were threatened with gas and heat prices rising by 15 to 34 percent from January next year, depending on the tariff band. Energy and housing costs still have the largest share of Slovak household expenses.
Slovakia started subsidizing gas and heat prices last year in response to their earlier significant increase in prices on the stock exchanges. For example, for this year the state allocated 1.25 billion euros (31.3 billion crowns) for this purpose. Without the continuation of subsidies, prices for families in Slovakia would rise, among other reasons, because market energy prices are still higher than in the period when Slovakia started compensation.
The transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to the EU has increased to recent values
Economy
