WEBVTT 00:00:00.427 --> 00:00:04.393 Dear journalists and other media representatives, 00:00:04.540 --> 00:00:07.459 welcome to our press conference in the wake 00:00:07.579 --> 00:00:10.724 of the 26th regular meeting of the government. 00:00:10.845 --> 00:00:15.304 At today's meeting, the government began to evaluate a proposed law 00:00:15.425 --> 00:00:18.404 to help businesses weather the energy crisis, 00:00:18.525 --> 00:00:23.025 and approved a bill on an urgent response to rising energy prices. 00:00:23.146 --> 00:00:27.565 The Minister of Economic Development and Technology Matjaž Han 00:00:27.706 --> 00:00:30.398 will tell you more about both bills. 00:00:30.579 --> 00:00:34.792 We'll later be joined by Infrastructure Minister Bojan Kumer. 00:00:34.952 --> 00:00:38.979 I would like to apologize for the absence of Minister Mesec, 00:00:39.112 --> 00:00:42.865 who had other commitments at Brdo. Go ahead, Minister. 00:00:45.706 --> 00:00:48.325 Thank you. 00:00:48.486 --> 00:00:52.318 I would like to start by 00:00:55.499 --> 00:01:00.552 saying that we are nearing the end of a difficult period 00:01:00.846 --> 00:01:05.739 based on our discussion of legislation to alleviate 00:01:05.860 --> 00:01:10.139 the effect of the energy crisis on businesses. I'd like to thank 00:01:10.293 --> 00:01:14.212 everyone who worked on this bill, including representatives 00:01:14.352 --> 00:01:20.112 of business, who helped us out, and I hope we now have a bill 00:01:20.246 --> 00:01:28.112 that will help businesses overcome the energy crisis. 00:01:28.546 --> 00:01:32.372 We had an agreement with business and the government 00:01:32.493 --> 00:01:36.239 will conduct talks with social partners today. 00:01:36.759 --> 00:01:44.465 Tomorrow, we'll take this matter to the Economic-Social Council, 00:01:44.606 --> 00:01:48.652 and we'll introduce the bill to Parliament. 00:01:48.806 --> 00:01:55.212 We'll approve it on Monday at our correspondence session 00:01:55.339 --> 00:01:58.992 and then head to the National Assembly for the regular 00:01:59.113 --> 00:02:03.932 December session, and the law will go into effect on 1/1/23. 00:02:05.292 --> 00:02:09.419 What would we like to do with this bill? 00:02:09.799 --> 00:02:13.945 First, we would like to set competitive energy prices 00:02:14.332 --> 00:02:19.465 similar to those paid by companies throughout Europe. 00:02:19.753 --> 00:02:24.292 Second, and this is significant, we would like to ensure 00:02:24.566 --> 00:02:29.079 a predictable, favorable environment for our businesses. 00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:33.539 It's difficult to draw a precise estimate of how much 00:02:33.660 --> 00:02:37.179 this measure will cost. 00:02:37.307 --> 00:02:42.185 But the estimate of our ministry is for a price tag 00:02:42.326 --> 00:02:47.785 of circa €1.2 billion. This will come from our budget reserves 00:02:47.932 --> 00:02:55.145 for next year. We're talking about circa €850 million for business, 00:02:55.293 --> 00:03:00.012 while the law also includes measures for the preservation 00:03:00.192 --> 00:03:02.919 of jobs, which will cost €100 million, 00:03:03.040 --> 00:03:10.905 and we have measures to improve the liquidity 00:03:11.026 --> 00:03:14.779 of Slovenian companies, which we will work on 00:03:14.932 --> 00:03:19.085 together with the Enterprise Fund. They will cost 00:03:19.226 --> 00:03:27.045 €200 million. They will naturally help businesses with liquidity. 00:03:27.166 --> 00:03:33.719 We based this on the measures from the emergency package 00:03:33.899 --> 00:03:38.632 introduced by the European Commission, 00:03:38.892 --> 00:03:43.685 which took various Slovenian proposals into consideration. 00:03:43.879 --> 00:03:48.639 The ministers had coordinated them with the commissioners. 00:03:49.019 --> 00:03:55.112 The measures are similar to those introduced this year, 00:03:55.426 --> 00:04:00.819 but with important improvements for the benefit of the economy, 00:04:01.179 --> 00:04:06.632 and they have been coordinated with the business sector. 00:04:06.812 --> 00:04:11.085 We realize that the state won't be able to do everything, 00:04:11.259 --> 00:04:15.585 given our budget limitations, but this bill 00:04:15.706 --> 00:04:22.939 is a good starting point to ensure business competitiveness. 00:04:23.286 --> 00:04:28.379 I would like to focus on what we've changed 00:04:28.552 --> 00:04:31.816 compared to this year's package. 00:04:32.326 --> 00:04:37.383 We increased the maximum allowable amount of aid, 00:04:37.504 --> 00:04:45.138 thereby ensuring far more resources, from €80 million to €1.2 billion. 00:04:45.484 --> 00:04:53.459 We also added two new types of aid for businesses. 00:04:54.819 --> 00:05:01.304 We loosened the entry requirements from a price 00:05:01.425 --> 00:05:09.425 increase of 200% to 150% compared to the 2021 average. 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:14.525 We also changed the criteria for energy-intensive companies. 00:05:14.739 --> 00:05:20.225 We'll make the execution easier for companies 00:05:20.366 --> 00:05:26.399 and eliminate needless administrative barriers. 00:05:26.759 --> 00:05:31.499 The time frame for aid will extend from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023. 00:05:31.599 --> 00:05:37.566 When it's passed, the law must be reintroduced 00:05:37.719 --> 00:05:41.832 to the European Commission, which must approve the strategy, 00:05:41.953 --> 00:05:45.539 but based on our talks, I don't foresee any problems. 00:05:45.672 --> 00:05:49.519 The beneficiaries are the same as this year: 00:05:49.666 --> 00:05:54.285 companies, co-ops, associations, institutions, interest groups, 00:05:54.486 --> 00:05:57.519 chambers of commerce, and labor unions, 00:05:57.640 --> 00:06:00.965 mostly entities that conduct business activities. 00:06:01.132 --> 00:06:04.219 That's the key. Those not entitled to the aid 00:06:04.332 --> 00:06:09.719 include small business users because we've regulated 00:06:09.859 --> 00:06:17.705 their prices. This covers about 100,000 companies 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:19.905 whose prices are regulated. 00:06:23.099 --> 00:06:29.152 Also not covered are financial and insurance companies. 00:06:29.412 --> 00:06:37.412 In short, we will cover 40% to 80% 00:06:37.546 --> 00:06:43.883 of all the eligible expenses above a 150% energy price hike. 00:06:44.519 --> 00:06:48.892 The maximum allowed aid is €2 million 00:06:49.046 --> 00:06:53.905 for simple aid and up to €150 million 00:06:54.039 --> 00:06:59.249 for special aid for companies meeting certain criteria. 00:06:59.886 --> 00:07:04.099 This includes Talom and some paper mills. 00:07:04.220 --> 00:07:09.725 But I don't believe any company in Slovenia will reach €150 million 00:07:09.846 --> 00:07:14.816 in subsidies, but that's a part of the program. 00:07:18.632 --> 00:07:24.465 We also set the maximum allowed price of energy sources 00:07:24.606 --> 00:07:28.492 that can be claimed by beneficiaries in 2023. 00:07:28.626 --> 00:07:32.785 We now have five types of aid: simple aid, 00:07:32.979 --> 00:07:38.192 which will be subsidized in the amount of 50% 00:07:38.379 --> 00:07:45.665 up to €2 million, and this includes agriculture with €250,000 00:07:45.819 --> 00:07:50.945 and fisheries with up to €300,000. 00:07:51.286 --> 00:07:55.159 Then we have packages of special aid. 00:07:55.425 --> 00:08:01.116 These include special aid for reduced business performance, 00:08:01.339 --> 00:08:04.379 up to €100 million. 00:08:04.572 --> 00:08:09.132 We also have special aid for energy-intensive companies 00:08:09.626 --> 00:08:16.519 with a recognized status. The third type of special aid 00:08:16.653 --> 00:08:22.479 is intended for certain sectors, such as paper, aluminum, glass, 00:08:22.899 --> 00:08:26.752 mining, etc., also with a recognized status. This is what 00:08:26.873 --> 00:08:30.171 I was referring to when I mentioned €150 million. 00:08:30.292 --> 00:08:38.239 The claimant may make use of only one type of aid. 00:08:41.086 --> 00:08:46.799 We'll carry this out the same way as this year. 00:08:47.159 --> 00:08:52.652 Our executive agency, Spirit, will carry out this task. 00:08:52.773 --> 00:08:56.039 I'd like to thank them because this isn't their 00:08:56.199 --> 00:08:59.559 primary task, but they did a great job this year. 00:08:59.739 --> 00:09:04.305 I believe that when the bill is taken up by the National Assembly, 00:09:04.486 --> 00:09:10.239 the first funds will be on the way to companies 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:14.165 for this year. The claimants will be able 00:09:14.286 --> 00:09:19.912 to fill out their digital applications 00:09:20.092 --> 00:09:24.649 by the end of the day on February 28 00:09:25.252 --> 00:09:27.552 for the following year. 00:09:27.719 --> 00:09:32.359 Companies will then receive a regular monthly payout 00:09:32.506 --> 00:09:36.745 in the amount of 80% of the estimated value. 00:09:36.886 --> 00:09:41.478 This will make things easier. The remaining 20% will then 00:09:41.686 --> 00:09:44.972 be paid out to companies at the end, 00:09:45.139 --> 00:09:47.892 based on their actual energy use. 00:09:48.392 --> 00:09:55.332 The payout for the first quarter will take place on March 31. 00:09:55.839 --> 00:09:59.779 This is important because things won't be able to get 00:09:59.952 --> 00:10:02.592 off the ground otherwise. 00:10:02.779 --> 00:10:10.683 Everything from March on will be paid on a monthly basis. 00:10:11.339 --> 00:10:16.005 We expect some companies to have liquidity issues 00:10:16.146 --> 00:10:20.366 in the meantime. That's why we have 00:10:20.552 --> 00:10:24.919 favorable liquidity loans 00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:31.616 from the Enterprise Fund and the Regional Development Fund 00:10:31.806 --> 00:10:39.478 in the amount of €30 million for '23 and €20 million for '24. 00:10:39.811 --> 00:10:45.117 We'll have about €100,000 set aside for favorable loans 00:10:45.266 --> 00:10:50.679 per company. I believe that hundreds of these companies 00:10:50.853 --> 00:10:55.086 will receive this support. And we have another financial 00:10:55.207 --> 00:11:02.052 instrument in cooperation with the SID Bank, 00:11:02.206 --> 00:11:05.752 our Ministry and the Ministry of Finance. 00:11:06.726 --> 00:11:10.793 We're getting this together and holding talks today 00:11:10.906 --> 00:11:14.885 and tomorrow. We'll use an additional €25 million 00:11:15.052 --> 00:11:20.779 from the budget for measures 00:11:20.933 --> 00:11:25.352 that cost around €200 million, 00:11:25.526 --> 00:11:29.111 which will the be paid out to bank accounts. 00:11:29.232 --> 00:11:33.959 Businesses will then be able to make use of these funds 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:42.092 for normal business operations. 00:11:42.926 --> 00:11:48.612 The Labor Minister should be here for this, but the second thing 00:11:48.799 --> 00:11:52.899 I mentioned the measure affecting reduced working hours 00:11:53.092 --> 00:11:58.205 and furloughs. Earlier today, we were still making 00:11:58.352 --> 00:12:02.345 some fixes at the government meeting. We'll simplify things. 00:12:02.513 --> 00:12:06.339 The period of eligibility will be from January 1 00:12:06.460 --> 00:12:09.025 to March 31, 2023. 00:12:12.164 --> 00:12:20.133 Reduced working hours will be compensated in the amount 00:12:20.254 --> 00:12:27.866 of 80% paid out to employers. 00:12:29.525 --> 00:12:37.409 This will be carried out by the Employment Office. 00:12:39.659 --> 00:12:43.562 This is our plan of action regarding reduced working hours. 00:12:43.746 --> 00:12:49.579 The criteria will be announced. Then we'll just have the furloughs. 00:12:49.732 --> 00:12:57.012 These measures were approved by the government today. 00:12:57.159 --> 00:13:00.239 They weren't formally passed because we feel 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:04.552 that the Economic-Social Council needs to debate the matter. 00:13:04.706 --> 00:13:08.299 I believe we'll be successful. It was quite exhausting 00:13:08.492 --> 00:13:12.025 and we still need to complete some things. 00:13:12.392 --> 00:13:17.098 Once again, I'd like to thank everyone who took part 00:13:17.259 --> 00:13:23.092 in preparing this bill. I trust that the economy 00:13:23.226 --> 00:13:27.665 will function normally under these circumstances. 00:13:27.959 --> 00:13:32.159 Thank you, Minister. First, some questions from the press here. 00:13:32.280 --> 00:13:36.273 TV Slovenia. You have to step up to the microphone. 00:13:37.639 --> 00:13:39.812 Gašper Petovar, RTV Slovenia. 00:13:39.986 --> 00:13:43.572 I would like to know if you've received any feedback 00:13:43.773 --> 00:13:47.932 from the Chamber of Commerce, or the Chamber of Craft and Small 00:13:48.133 --> 00:13:51.925 Business, who supported the proposals but were worried 00:13:52.072 --> 00:13:55.979 about something that may be hiding in the fine print. 00:13:56.152 --> 00:14:02.292 Frankly, all these chambers... Yesterday, I worked with Mr. Kumer, 00:14:02.493 --> 00:14:07.012 all the state secretaries, and our teams of experts 00:14:07.199 --> 00:14:12.911 at the Infrastructure Ministry until 11:30 p.m. 00:14:13.032 --> 00:14:17.165 and we coordinated all this legislation with representatives 00:14:17.286 --> 00:14:21.045 of business. Mr. Kumer and I realize that 00:14:21.793 --> 00:14:27.785 this country doesn't have the money that businesses would need, 00:14:27.953 --> 00:14:32.238 but we still managed to coordinate enough funds to ensure 00:14:32.365 --> 00:14:36.271 normal, competitive conditions. 00:14:36.406 --> 00:14:42.372 We're trying to convince them not to fear 00:14:42.493 --> 00:14:47.385 any fine print in the legislation. 00:14:47.552 --> 00:14:52.699 Just as we spent five or six weeks coordinating this law, 00:14:52.839 --> 00:14:57.092 we'll now finalize it in such a way 00:14:57.226 --> 00:15:00.965 than on Monday, when the law in passed, business leaders 00:15:01.086 --> 00:15:03.445 will know exactly what it looks like 00:15:03.566 --> 00:15:06.985 and what the conditions for aid will be. Fine print 00:15:07.092 --> 00:15:09.419 is not this government's intention. 00:15:09.566 --> 00:15:12.165 Another question. 00:15:13.306 --> 00:15:15.925 Hello. Klemen Balanč, Bloomberg Adria. 00:15:16.133 --> 00:15:19.299 The Ministry of Finance expects Slovenia 00:15:19.492 --> 00:15:23.865 to go €4 million in debt next year. This is a 10-percent nominal 00:15:23.986 --> 00:15:26.838 increase in debt. How much room to maneuver 00:15:26.959 --> 00:15:31.337 can the public finances absorb. A billion here, a billion there... 00:15:31.458 --> 00:15:35.105 Where will it end? -I can't give you an expert opinion. 00:15:35.239 --> 00:15:38.425 The Finance Ministry will probably tell you. 00:15:38.592 --> 00:15:41.945 But I know that the money pumped into the economy 00:15:42.099 --> 00:15:45.979 and used transparently for investments, for added value, 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:52.412 and for economic growth will come back to us times three. 00:15:52.559 --> 00:15:56.679 I don't have this fear, but as far as debt is concerned, 00:15:56.859 --> 00:16:00.039 you'll have to ask the Minister of Finance. 00:16:00.199 --> 00:16:04.019 Thank you. For those online, please raise your hands. 00:16:04.112 --> 00:16:06.705 If anyone has a question... 00:16:06.972 --> 00:16:09.105 Yes. Kaja Kobetič, Kanal A. 00:16:18.099 --> 00:16:23.105 Hello. My question is a bit off-topic for today. 00:16:23.206 --> 00:16:25.932 The current government has been in office 00:16:26.099 --> 00:16:29.952 for six months. You're not a political novice, 00:16:30.072 --> 00:16:33.672 but you are a ministerial novice. How would you assess 00:16:33.793 --> 00:16:37.792 these six months? Is it as you expected, since you mentioned 00:16:37.966 --> 00:16:40.285 how exhausting it all is? 00:16:40.432 --> 00:16:44.525 I'll be honest. It's more difficult than I expected it to be. 00:16:44.706 --> 00:16:48.738 However, I'm lucky that I have excellent coworkers 00:16:48.859 --> 00:16:55.399 at the ministry: state secretaries, directorate heads, 00:16:55.559 --> 00:17:00.225 and all the teams in the office and beyond. I can't praise 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:04.365 them enough. They deserve more. 00:17:05.712 --> 00:17:10.439 When we took power, we didn't expect such a serious energy crisis. 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:14.879 Even though I'm a Social Democrat and a coalition partner, 00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:20.352 I can say we're lucky that we have a Prime Minister 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:27.383 who knows this topic well. But it's hard to keep up with him. 00:17:27.812 --> 00:17:34.111 But with the cooperation of the Infrastructure Ministry 00:17:34.232 --> 00:17:40.352 and Mr. Kumer and so on, we're up to the challenge. 00:17:41.165 --> 00:17:46.325 I'd like to thank business leaders, who gave me 00:17:46.486 --> 00:17:50.899 their confidence. I hope I won't disappoint them too badly. 00:17:51.072 --> 00:17:56.605 Of course, things will now get shuffled around, 00:17:56.779 --> 00:18:02.331 since I'm about to take over the Ministry for Business, Tourism, 00:18:02.452 --> 00:18:07.686 and Sports, which was my original idea when I came here. 00:18:08.112 --> 00:18:11.739 I'm not afraid of challenges. 00:18:12.025 --> 00:18:16.685 It's a difficult job, but I'll manage. 00:18:17.092 --> 00:18:20.225 Thank you. You probably wanted to say that it's 00:18:20.346 --> 00:18:23.412 difficult to keep up with the Prime Minister's 00:18:23.533 --> 00:18:27.559 knowledge of the energy sector. -I don't intend to keep up 00:18:27.706 --> 00:18:31.792 that way, but it's difficult to keep up because he knows 00:18:32.019 --> 00:18:36.452 how to respond when things change. It's like the stock market. 00:18:36.933 --> 00:18:41.652 The European Commission's opinions also keep changing. 00:18:41.806 --> 00:18:46.212 I have to say that the Commission is not of much help right now 00:18:46.366 --> 00:18:50.419 because it hasn't adopted the solidarity principle 00:18:50.540 --> 00:18:54.332 for electricity and natural gas subsidies. 00:18:54.512 --> 00:18:58.785 However, Slovenia found its own path, 00:18:58.906 --> 00:19:02.152 which I believe is in the benefit of our people. 00:19:02.299 --> 00:19:06.025 Andreja Lončar from N1 has a question online. 00:19:06.239 --> 00:19:08.845 Hello. Can you hear me? 00:19:10.339 --> 00:19:13.799 Do we hear each other? -We do. 00:19:14.006 --> 00:19:18.792 My question is about the energy sector. 00:19:18.946 --> 00:19:22.405 In case of this year's aid package, there were some 00:19:22.566 --> 00:19:27.625 indications that there were fewer applications than expected. 00:19:27.746 --> 00:19:31.385 What do you expect for next year? Is this package 00:19:31.546 --> 00:19:34.559 more business friendly? 00:19:34.652 --> 00:19:39.572 I would also like to know... Currently, companies that have 00:19:39.699 --> 00:19:45.239 furloughed their workers and already have problems 00:19:45.346 --> 00:19:49.572 are still very rare, at least those known to the public. 00:19:49.679 --> 00:19:54.065 When do you expect this critical moment? Will the prices 00:19:54.212 --> 00:20:02.145 rise before the New Year and cause liquidity problems? 00:20:02.932 --> 00:20:08.079 I'll respond to your first question this way: 00:20:08.399 --> 00:20:13.592 Two things are different now compared to next year. 00:20:13.766 --> 00:20:17.819 First, 70% of businesses had their electricity pre-purchased 00:20:17.946 --> 00:20:21.659 based on the old prices, and thankfully didn't have 00:20:21.833 --> 00:20:24.959 these problems. 00:20:25.119 --> 00:20:29.612 Thirty percent had half of their electricity pre-purchased 00:20:29.733 --> 00:20:33.452 and the other half on a pay-as-you-go basis, 00:20:33.612 --> 00:20:36.452 so some didn't see the need, thankfully. 00:20:36.666 --> 00:20:41.712 Another factor was the tax code. 00:20:41.893 --> 00:20:48.579 They could issue dividends, so some didn't apply, 00:20:48.726 --> 00:20:52.119 but these were very few. 00:20:52.373 --> 00:20:57.472 For next year, we're introducing a complete overhaul 00:20:57.606 --> 00:21:03.916 in how companies purchase electricity. 00:21:04.239 --> 00:21:08.639 Mr. Kumer will tell you more, but based on our data, 00:21:08.826 --> 00:21:13.859 the percentages have been reversed. Thirty percent of businesses 00:21:13.972 --> 00:21:18.632 have their electricity and natural gas pre-purchased at good prices, 00:21:18.779 --> 00:21:22.716 while 70 percent depend on new contracts, 00:21:22.986 --> 00:21:26.612 which can be five, six, or seven times more expensive 00:21:26.726 --> 00:21:32.765 than a few years ago. That's why the government must intervene. 00:21:33.179 --> 00:21:38.077 We shouldn't forget that beside businesses, this government 00:21:38.198 --> 00:21:45.259 also bailed out the people of Slovenia. 00:21:45.479 --> 00:21:49.425 If you compare a power bill from this year 00:21:49.579 --> 00:21:54.712 to one from last year, you see that electricity and gas 00:21:54.833 --> 00:21:58.059 haven't gotten substantially more expensive, 00:21:58.199 --> 00:22:01.705 so we can be satisfied in this regard. 00:22:01.813 --> 00:22:09.516 Of course, we expect many more applicants next year. 00:22:09.659 --> 00:22:13.405 We'll see how many, but I hope that 00:22:13.559 --> 00:22:17.112 we'll be able to complete the process and pay out 00:22:17.233 --> 00:22:21.852 the gas and electricity aid to companies without any issues. 00:22:21.979 --> 00:22:26.612 It's also important that we'll have enough electricity 00:22:26.779 --> 00:22:28.992 and natural gas for next year. 00:22:29.112 --> 00:22:33.399 Thank you. Any questions or follow-ups? 00:22:34.564 --> 00:22:37.541 Thank you, minister Han. -Thank you. 00:22:38.045 --> 00:22:42.649 Now, I invite the minister of infrastructure Bojan Kumer 00:22:42.769 --> 00:22:45.986 to join us. He will present the law 00:22:46.106 --> 00:22:49.916 about the urgent intervention because of high energy prices. 00:22:50.098 --> 00:22:54.976 Please. -Thank you. I would like to present you 00:22:55.096 --> 00:22:57.609 the law that was passed by the government today 00:22:57.729 --> 00:23:02.216 about the urgent intervention because of high energy prices. 00:23:02.562 --> 00:23:05.983 It is an additional measure 00:23:06.798 --> 00:23:09.583 where we tackle the energy crisis. 00:23:09.756 --> 00:23:12.890 We have already passed a lot of measures 00:23:13.010 --> 00:23:16.784 and the results prove that they were the right ones. 00:23:17.341 --> 00:23:20.915 We are going in the right direction. As you know, 00:23:21.035 --> 00:23:24.249 we passed a decree two days ago 00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:28.637 where we limited the prices 00:23:28.996 --> 00:23:34.016 for energy companies that sell electricity in Slovenia. 00:23:34.534 --> 00:23:39.865 We regulated the cost of offers when the providers make business. 00:23:39.985 --> 00:23:45.138 With that, we brought stability to the electricity market 00:23:45.258 --> 00:23:50.108 and introduced a mechanism 00:23:50.229 --> 00:23:57.216 that is dynamic and the economy welcomed it. 00:23:59.085 --> 00:24:04.283 The law that we passed today brings some novelties. 00:24:04.722 --> 00:24:10.140 We implemented the regulation that ministers in charge of energy 00:24:10.261 --> 00:24:13.995 passed in the EU on September 30 00:24:14.248 --> 00:24:19.621 and added some national specifics, so that we will better tackle 00:24:19.741 --> 00:24:26.516 the crisis that could come during winter and next year. 00:24:28.885 --> 00:24:33.816 I will limit myself to five topics. With this law, 00:24:34.052 --> 00:24:37.216 we will reduce the peak load. 00:24:37.390 --> 00:24:40.283 The regulation demands from all member states 00:24:40.403 --> 00:24:45.209 to reduce the electricity consumption by 5% 00:24:45.329 --> 00:24:50.916 during the busiest part of the day. We passed a law 00:24:51.036 --> 00:24:55.916 where the operator will make it possible through tenders 00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:00.583 that we will reduce the consumption. 00:25:01.208 --> 00:25:05.683 We will support renewable sources. 00:25:05.911 --> 00:25:09.006 The EU Commission made it possible 00:25:09.352 --> 00:25:13.404 to loosen the rules about state help 00:25:13.524 --> 00:25:16.316 for investments in renewable sources. 00:25:16.888 --> 00:25:20.892 We will boost investments 00:25:21.012 --> 00:25:25.751 in renewable energy sources and the storage of energy. 00:25:27.151 --> 00:25:34.016 It is a strategic project 00:25:34.550 --> 00:25:38.083 that will additionally boost the green transition. 00:25:39.085 --> 00:25:43.513 We also allow the financing of the following projects. 00:25:43.852 --> 00:25:47.560 The production and storage of electricity 00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:54.016 and heat with the power between 50kW and 1MW. 00:25:54.136 --> 00:25:59.616 We will boost the production of heat and gas, 00:25:59.829 --> 00:26:05.916 renewable hydrogen and gas and methane from waste. 00:26:07.582 --> 00:26:11.882 With this law, we also defined 00:26:12.752 --> 00:26:16.428 how all these measures 00:26:17.031 --> 00:26:21.273 can be implemented faster and we introduced 00:26:21.393 --> 00:26:26.484 a solidarity contribution. In the third part, 00:26:28.056 --> 00:26:32.675 we tackle the high costs. 00:26:32.795 --> 00:26:37.034 When the energy prices are disproportionately high, 00:26:37.154 --> 00:26:40.651 the government can regulate the prices of district heating 00:26:40.771 --> 00:26:44.580 and tariffs in a way 00:26:44.700 --> 00:26:48.783 that they won't exceed a certain level. 00:26:49.683 --> 00:26:52.283 Now, we have a legal basis 00:26:52.403 --> 00:26:58.116 that we will be able to react quickly if necessary 00:26:58.384 --> 00:27:02.416 and protect the consumers and the economy. 00:27:02.536 --> 00:27:05.395 We also defined the reference price of wood biomass 00:27:05.515 --> 00:27:12.116 to determine the prices that the Energy Agency will have to abide by. 00:27:12.368 --> 00:27:17.321 We tackle the contributions from surplus earnings 00:27:17.441 --> 00:27:21.579 and a solidarity contribution. We talk about the revenues 00:27:21.699 --> 00:27:26.383 from selling electricity, especially on the wholesale market 00:27:26.503 --> 00:27:32.049 in Slovenia. The electricity must be consumed here. 00:27:32.919 --> 00:27:39.683 This way, we will limit the costs from production to delivery. 00:27:40.216 --> 00:27:43.983 The price will be €180/MWh, but there will be exceptions. 00:27:44.695 --> 00:27:49.215 The exception are production devices 00:27:49.335 --> 00:27:53.883 that produce electricity from lignite and gas, 00:27:54.003 --> 00:27:56.216 especially small devices. 00:27:57.835 --> 00:28:00.624 Then, there are some other measures. 00:28:01.043 --> 00:28:04.392 These measures are nationally specific. 00:28:04.513 --> 00:28:11.350 We offer guaranteed buyback to manufacturers of small devices. 00:28:11.471 --> 00:28:15.862 We received many initiatives at the ministry. 00:28:15.983 --> 00:28:18.797 With this law, we provide the appropriate legal basis 00:28:18.918 --> 00:28:22.127 so that they can avoid market volatility, 00:28:22.248 --> 00:28:25.066 and thereby provide them with additional protection. 00:28:25.187 --> 00:28:28.587 We also set a reference price for operational support, 00:28:28.708 --> 00:28:32.099 180 euros per megawatt hour. 00:28:32.411 --> 00:28:35.204 We are introducing a basis for possible compensation 00:28:35.325 --> 00:28:39.694 to suppliers of electricity, gas and heat, 00:28:39.815 --> 00:28:44.116 to whom the price regulation measure would cause significant damage. 00:28:44.237 --> 00:28:50.111 As you know, quite a few regulations for the regulation of LNG, 00:28:50.232 --> 00:28:54.185 electricity and remote heating prices have already been determined. 00:28:54.306 --> 00:28:57.989 With this law, we are introducing a legal basis. 00:28:58.110 --> 00:29:01.299 Last week we had a public hearing on two regulations 00:29:01.420 --> 00:29:06.128 which will enable compensation to suppliers, 00:29:06.249 --> 00:29:08.341 to whom damage was caused 00:29:08.462 --> 00:29:10.869 due to the difference between the purchase price 00:29:10.990 --> 00:29:15.083 and the price at which they sell electricity to end customers. 00:29:15.204 --> 00:29:21.149 In accordance with the regulation that determines the regulated price. 00:29:22.178 --> 00:29:26.939 At the same time, we are limiting supply activities 00:29:27.060 --> 00:29:29.742 on the electricity and gas retail market. 00:29:29.863 --> 00:29:33.687 The Government can intervene in the market, 00:29:33.808 --> 00:29:37.110 if the suppliers start to abuse the situation 00:29:37.231 --> 00:29:39.400 and withdraw from the market as a precaution. 00:29:39.521 --> 00:29:44.328 We experienced this at the beginning of this year due to high prices. 00:29:44.449 --> 00:29:50.191 We impose certain sanctions on suppliers who will do this, 00:29:50.312 --> 00:29:53.662 so that they will not be allowed to return to the same market, 00:29:53.783 --> 00:29:57.305 if the situation calms down in the next five years 00:29:57.426 --> 00:30:00.104 and they will take advantage of the market position 00:30:00.225 --> 00:30:03.169 they have acquired over the years. 00:30:04.395 --> 00:30:08.594 I would like to point out that this law, 00:30:08.715 --> 00:30:11.997 which will be sent to the National Assembly, 00:30:12.118 --> 00:30:15.391 will be followed by two regulations 00:30:15.512 --> 00:30:20.889 to cover the difference between the supplier's purchase price 00:30:21.010 --> 00:30:24.795 and the regulated selling price to end customers. 00:30:25.020 --> 00:30:27.637 Thank you very much. First here. 00:30:28.477 --> 00:30:30.227 Gašper, TV Slovenia. 00:30:32.661 --> 00:30:37.251 A question that does not concern your ministry. 00:30:38.057 --> 00:30:41.026 The vignettes for next year are already on sale. 00:30:41.147 --> 00:30:44.898 Rumour has it that the Government is considering raising the price. 00:30:45.019 --> 00:30:48.335 Not now, but in the new year. 00:30:48.516 --> 00:30:52.500 Are you thinking about increasing the price of vignettes or not? 00:30:52.621 --> 00:30:58.013 Will their price stay the same in January or February? 00:30:58.477 --> 00:31:03.023 These rumours reached me too. 00:31:03.144 --> 00:31:07.785 There was even a proposal in the annual management plan. 00:31:07.906 --> 00:31:10.733 We took immediate action. 00:31:10.854 --> 00:31:14.043 Any price increases are out of the question. 00:31:14.164 --> 00:31:18.306 We will absolutely prevent any increase in the price of vignettes. 00:31:18.427 --> 00:31:23.149 The answer is that price increases are not anticipated. 00:31:23.706 --> 00:31:26.905 Good. Anything else? Bloomberg? No? 00:31:27.026 --> 00:31:32.886 Then we can go online. Špela Bezjak, 24ur, go ahead. 00:31:33.384 --> 00:31:39.464 Minister, I have two questions, I will start with the energy one. 00:31:39.585 --> 00:31:42.910 What is currently happening with energy prices, 00:31:43.031 --> 00:31:47.281 say electricity and LNG prices, on the energy exchanges? 00:31:47.402 --> 00:31:51.406 How high will they get 00:31:51.527 --> 00:31:56.504 and where might problems begin to appear for the law 00:31:56.625 --> 00:32:00.787 which was approved by the Government today? 00:32:00.908 --> 00:32:04.421 Thank you. This is the first one, but I will continue later. 00:32:04.542 --> 00:32:10.392 The story of the energy exchanges is very complex. 00:32:10.636 --> 00:32:12.636 I really like questions 00:32:12.757 --> 00:32:16.695 which I can elaborate on for up to 5, 10 minutes. 00:32:16.876 --> 00:32:22.027 This was also the purpose of the regulation we adopted two days ago. 00:32:22.148 --> 00:32:29.166 On the energy exchanges which Slovenian sellers are focused on, 00:32:29.287 --> 00:32:33.109 the situation is extremely illiquid. We pointed them 00:32:33.230 --> 00:32:37.191 to the reference energy exchange of the continental part of Europe. 00:32:37.312 --> 00:32:39.358 I am talking about the German EEX. 00:32:39.479 --> 00:32:44.099 This ensured the liquidity and comparability of the offer 00:32:44.220 --> 00:32:50.906 and at the same time referred the wholesale price to our economy 00:32:51.027 --> 00:32:55.246 for those customers who have not yet leased electricity. 00:32:55.367 --> 00:33:03.059 Energy companies are now bound by the price at which they must sell. 00:33:03.210 --> 00:33:05.878 What are the current prices? 00:33:06.511 --> 00:33:11.487 Given that at the last session of the ministers responsible for energy 00:33:11.608 --> 00:33:17.986 we did not reach a consensus on the dynamic price corridor for LNG, 00:33:18.107 --> 00:33:23.268 and given that we are in the colder part of the year 00:33:23.389 --> 00:33:29.816 and the consumption of LNG is higher, 00:33:29.937 --> 00:33:32.755 the prices are rising. 00:33:32.876 --> 00:33:39.000 As for electricity, we are currently at 350 euros. 00:33:39.121 --> 00:33:41.822 The price changes daily. 00:33:42.003 --> 00:33:46.710 I hope that at the next special meeting on December 13 00:33:46.831 --> 00:33:51.593 we will reach an agreement with Germany and the other member states 00:33:51.714 --> 00:33:55.143 which oppose the dynamic corridor, 00:33:55.268 --> 00:34:00.538 and thus send a clear signal 00:34:00.659 --> 00:34:03.575 to the energy exchanges on the European market. 00:34:03.959 --> 00:34:10.160 As we have done from June till end of October. 00:34:10.537 --> 00:34:13.902 We need to complete this final detail. 00:34:14.023 --> 00:34:19.293 We've already implemented two regulations, Slovenia was active. 00:34:19.786 --> 00:34:23.799 I hope that all three will be confirmed on December 13. 00:34:24.538 --> 00:34:27.121 One more question, right, Špela? 00:34:27.396 --> 00:34:32.316 The second question is more political. 00:34:32.559 --> 00:34:37.636 Does Mr Hajdinjak as head of DARS mean 00:34:37.757 --> 00:34:40.293 that the coalition is building ties with the NSi party? 00:34:40.520 --> 00:34:46.074 Will Mr Andrej Ribič really join the board? 00:34:47.410 --> 00:34:49.744 That's a difficult question. 00:34:49.865 --> 00:34:55.505 I rather talk about prices and stock market news. 00:34:56.910 --> 00:35:00.904 This is a question for the DARS supervisory board. 00:35:01.536 --> 00:35:08.374 I know you're trying to catch us unguarded. 00:35:08.654 --> 00:35:12.608 There were many rumours as to where mr. Ribič might end up in. 00:35:12.787 --> 00:35:15.358 This proved to be untrue. 00:35:15.479 --> 00:35:18.030 I can't comment on hearsay. 00:35:18.187 --> 00:35:21.707 This is a question for the supervisory board. 00:35:21.905 --> 00:35:25.389 They are holding a meeting today. 00:35:26.216 --> 00:35:30.940 I don't even know that. -We've read about that. 00:35:31.912 --> 00:35:33.512 Kaja Kobetič, Kanal A. 00:35:35.154 --> 00:35:40.705 You've mentioned a meeting of competent authorities on energy. 00:35:40.826 --> 00:35:45.127 You have another session in two weeks. 00:35:45.537 --> 00:35:50.065 Are you in talks with foreign ministers? 00:35:50.186 --> 00:35:54.600 What price points are we talking about? 00:35:54.840 --> 00:36:00.585 If Slovenia insists on € 150 to 180, 00:36:00.887 --> 00:36:03.960 is this something that is feasible? 00:36:04.193 --> 00:36:08.007 Another question, similar to what mr. Han was asked. 00:36:08.128 --> 00:36:13.225 You're first time minister. The new government is 6 months old. 00:36:13.536 --> 00:36:17.905 How would you assess your time? Is it what you've expected? Thank you. 00:36:19.419 --> 00:36:22.866 I'll start with answering the last question. 00:36:23.787 --> 00:36:30.874 My first impression is that it was very demanding and busy. 00:36:33.536 --> 00:36:39.261 I believe we were very successful. Our starting point 00:36:39.787 --> 00:36:42.769 was very poor. 00:36:43.286 --> 00:36:49.573 We've held several meetings 00:36:49.694 --> 00:36:53.167 and we've managed to undertake necessary measures, 00:36:53.287 --> 00:36:57.261 but there's more work to do, on European level as well. 00:36:57.512 --> 00:37:03.128 I'm positively surprised how much we've achieved. 00:37:04.614 --> 00:37:08.050 Regarding your first question ... 00:37:10.036 --> 00:37:14.316 December 13 will see 00:37:15.669 --> 00:37:18.409 our 6th or 7th meeting. 00:37:18.857 --> 00:37:25.701 I said we'll hold meetings until we find common ground. 00:37:26.177 --> 00:37:32.131 We're active in trying to develop price regulation mechanism 00:37:32.448 --> 00:37:36.151 for natural gas on stock markets as well. 00:37:36.537 --> 00:37:43.705 We've demanded that the price isn't regulated just for a month, 00:37:43.949 --> 00:37:46.689 but for a year for all products. 00:37:46.810 --> 00:37:52.723 This has been approved on OTC platforms as well. 00:37:53.106 --> 00:37:58.614 We're happy about that. The mechanism was met with approval. 00:37:58.896 --> 00:38:04.598 A key regulation that became a standalone regulation, 00:38:05.286 --> 00:38:11.543 before it was mentioned in Articles 23 and 24 of Price Regulation Act. 00:38:11.911 --> 00:38:19.878 This is what we're solving together with other member states. 00:38:20.224 --> 00:38:26.357 We're finding both professional and political solutions. 00:38:26.787 --> 00:38:32.364 I'm in close contact with mr. Sikela. 00:38:32.873 --> 00:38:38.752 We have a great relationship and I appreciate his availability. 00:38:39.537 --> 00:38:43.744 Equally, I have a great relationship with my Croatian Spanish, 00:38:43.987 --> 00:38:46.486 and Portuguese colleagues. 00:38:47.037 --> 00:38:53.049 Even the Austrian colleague, although she often sides 00:38:53.418 --> 00:38:57.453 with the German minister, is trying to find solutions. 00:38:58.036 --> 00:39:03.277 I hope that this active dialogue 00:39:03.537 --> 00:39:08.988 will help to bridge the gaps that we have done in the past. 00:39:09.287 --> 00:39:12.371 I hope we'll do that on December 13 as well. 00:39:12.492 --> 00:39:14.092 Thank you. Any more questions? 00:39:15.841 --> 00:39:20.536 If not, thank you very much to those who attended in person 00:39:20.692 --> 00:39:23.703 and those online. Good day.