News

The Archives of the Republic of Slovenia wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2023.

Today, as part of his two-day visit to Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec and his delegation visited members of the Slovenian Armed Forces in Kosovo, who are deployed in the international operation KFOR and the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team.

At today's session, the Government adopted a Decree on setting the price of natural gas from the gas system for certain legal persons governed by public law, for providers of publicly valid education and training programmes, for providers of social care services, and for providers of family support programmes.

The Prime Minister established the Strategic Council for Food (the Council), which is currently comprised of 15 representatives of various professions and sectors. The Council is headed by Dr Nataša Fidler Mis, a food technology expert with an MA and a PhD in this field. The Council composition is being expanded and is expected to be completed next month when the Council holds its constitutive session.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon and Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg visited Montenegro on behalf and at the request of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. They met President of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, Prime Minister Dritan Abazović, and Assembly Speaker Danijela Đurović.

At the Government committee meetings, the Government adopted, among other things, the Revision of the Eco Fund Business and Financial Plan, and the Revision of the Housing Fund Business and Financial Plan, as well as the inclusion of a large number of agricultural and research projects in the current Development Programmes Plan.

After the agreement on capping the price of natural gas reached at the EU ministerial level, Prime Minister Robert Golob has already met with the representatives of employers at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS).

A discussion was held at the Faculty of Social Sciences entitled: Public institutions between efficiency and social responsibility – Governance of public institutions and directors' accountability in healthcare. Minister Sanja Ajanović Hovnik also participated in the discussion.

Five years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly declared 20 May World Bee Day. The National Council of the Republic of Slovenia organised an expert meeting entitled "There will be no bees without beekeepers" together with the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association to mark this occasion. Minister Irena Šinko attended the event. Certificates of recognition were awarded and the national champion in honey was crowned on the margins of the expert meeting.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon met her Serbian counterpart Ivica Dačić during an official visit to Belgrade. Their meeting focused on enhancing bilateral relations between their two countries, succession issues and Serbia's rapprochement with the EU.

On 21 December 2022 have passed 15 years since Slovenia became a Schengen state. For the Slovenian people, the most visible sign of the country’s entry into the Schengen Area was the abolishment of border controls at the borders with Austria, Italy and Hungary. This was a very important development for Slovenia, as its path to other EU states and the Schengen Area finally opened up.

The European Union has confirmed all three programmes for the European Union (EU) Home Affairs Funds for the 2021–2027 period. This will enable Slovenia to draw European funds in the fields of asylum, migration and integration, internal security and border management and visa instrument.

Bohinj was listed among the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO as part of the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) initiative. It was selected from among more than 130 applicants from 57 countries, which is a testament to the exceptional values of Bohinj and the work it carries out in rural tourism. The destination boasts unique natural and cultural resources and demonstrates a commitment to sustainable development throughout all three pillars of sustainability – environmental, social and economic.

A Slovenian company Sinergise, together with partners that form the T-Systems International consortium, signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission (EC) on setting up a system for storing, processing and distributing data from the Copernicus system (Copernicus Space Component Data Access ‒ CDAS), worth EUR 150 million in total.

Fifteen prizes and awards of the Republic of Slovenia for outstanding achievements in scientific research and development were presented at an award ceremony held at Cankarjev dom.

Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity concludes with a final plenary session in Montreal.

Minister of Infrastructure, Bojan Kumer, attended the continuation of the Extraordinary Energy Council of the European Union in Brussels, where ministers intensively coordinated an agreement on a European mechanism to limit natural gas prices and finally reached a political agreement.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held talks at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin with Minister of State for Europe and Climate Dr Anna Lührmann, State Secretary Andreas Michaelis and Director for Europe Sibylle Sorg. The meeting was aimed at identifying ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between Slovenia and Germany, and also provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on topical European and international themes.

Minister Irena Šinko and Director-General of the Food and Fisheries Directorate, Ana Le Marechal Kolar, today presented the Programme for the Implementation of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for the new financial period 2021-2027 at a press conference.

Prime Minister Robert Golob visited the Holy See today, on 17 December 2022. He was received by Pope Francis in a private audience.

After yesterday’s historic decision of the European Council to grant the status of candidate country to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prime Minister Robert Golob announced that he would visit Sarajevo and pledged technical and development assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Prime Minister Golob and President Pahor agree that the adoption of the Slovenian initiative is above all an important message of hope for the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon and Minister of Economic Development and Technology Matjaž Han discussed with key internationalisation players the support for the Slovenian economy abroad at the Economic Internationalisation Council.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very pleased that EU leaders at the European Council on 15 December took the important political decision to grant EU candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Common Application Centre at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia – CAC will be closed due to the Holidays Season from 16th December 2022 until 10th January 2023.

On Monday, December 12, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo participated in the charity event Ikebana International Fair. The honorary patron of the event is Japanese Imperial Princess Takamado. She traditionally addresses the participants and officially opens the fair. Before opening ceremony, she pays a courtesy visit to the exhibitors and symbolically participates to the event proceeds by purchasing different products.

Today's agreement by the leaders of the EU member states on granting the EU candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most important geostrategic and political decisions made by the EU in the recent period.

Today, on 15 December 2022, Prime Minister Robert Golob is attending the European Council meeting in Brussels. In the discussion, EU leaders are focusing on further assistance to Ukraine, energy, the EU's global competitiveness and its enlargement policy.

At today’s session, the Government adopted a proposal for an amendment to the Roads Act, issued a Decree granting the concession for the dental sector, and adopted the Digital Public Services Strategy 2030. In the Development Programmes 2022-2025, the Government included 15 projects totalling EUR 72.8 million granted under the Act Governing Aid to Businesses Hit by High Increases in Electricity and Natural Gas Prices.

The December issue of SINFO Magazine brings interesting stories and interviews, and highlights upcoming sporting events.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the 45th Commemorative Summit of the ASEAN-EU in Brussels. The event was the first to bring together the highest representatives of all of the member states of the two organisations. She also held numerous bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Summit.

Public Administration Minister Sanja Ajanović Hovnik is temporarily taking over the role of the Minister of the Interior after the stepping down of the former Minister of the Interior, Tatjana Bobnar.

The Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Matjaž Han, accompanied by Slovenian business representatives, is on a working visit to North Macedonia today and tomorrow. The minister, who met the Macedonian Minister of Economy, Kreshnik Bekteshi, called for the further strengthening of economic cooperation between the two countries.

On 13 December, the Nuclear Safety Administration hosted the annual meeting with a delegation from the Croatian Directorate for Civil Protection as part of the implementation of the bilateral agreement on the Early Exchange of Information in the Event of Radiological Danger.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of relations between Slovenia and Japan on December 15 2022 Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo organised a poetry recital for Slovenians and friends of Slovenia in memory of the life and work of Father Dr Vladimir Kos.

At the session of the Government Committee on the Economy, the Government reallocated the funds from the state budget and increased the dedicated assets and capital of the Eco Fund.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the regular meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels on the preparations for the European Council meeting and the conclusions on enlargement and stabilisation and association process.

The "Standing with the Ukrainian People" conference in Paris, bringing together high and senior representatives of 70 states and international organisations, was held on 13 December. At the conference organised by France, Slovenia was represented by Ambassador Metka Ipavic.

Today, Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, addressed the Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Within the framework of the "This is Europe" debate, the Prime Minister participated at the plenary session of the Parliament and focused on three key fields in his speech, i.e. the energy crisis and green transition, the importance of the rule of law and the geostrategic action of the EU.

On Tuesday, 13 December 2022, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo organised a working honey breakfast entitled "Bee x Education". The main topic was the importance of educating beekeepers, educating the general public about bees and apitourism.

The European Commission yesterday approved Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 that Slovenia officially submitted to Brussels at the end of October.

The Minister of Economic Development Matjaž Han and the Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon signed an agreement with representatives of Slovenian organisations in neighbouring countries concerning the foundation of an Economic Coordinating Body of Slovenians in neighbouring countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, chaired by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The meeting focused on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and on the situation in Iran. A meeting of the EU-Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers was held in the morning in advance of the Council meeting.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon hosted the second high-level event of the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean in Brussels. In her opening address, the Minister underlined the need to strengthen partnership and cooperation on AI.

On 5 December 2022, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob hosted for the first time the President of the European Council Charles Michel. The Government Communication Office took care of the media logistics.

Granny’s Sexual Life has taken the title for best short at the European Film Awards held in Reykjavik, Iceland. “The European Film Award is proof that Slovenia has the very best creative talent in film. It shows that Slovenian cinema belongs to the elite of European cinema,” said Dr Asta Vrečko, the culture minister, in her congratulations to the makers of the film.

The increasing social hardship and uncertain economic conditions caused by high energy prices have made it necessary to pass a new law whose stipulations include emergency measures to reduce import dependency in energy supplies, price controls, and windfall taxes on electricity producers.

On International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2022, Slovenia launched the Our Rights project in Japan. Ambassador Blanka Jamnišek, responsible for the project, participated in the Youth Forum organised by Soka Gakkai International, shared her experience about the project and conducted training for 40 teachers on the use of tools to teach children about their rights. Prior to the Forum, she was interviewed by the pupils and students from SGI schools for the newspaper Seikyo Shimbun.

Rating agencies S&P and DBRS Morningstar confirmed Slovenia’s credit rating yesterday. S&P confirmed the AA- rating with a stable outlook, while DBRS Morningstar confirmed the A (high) rating, again with a stable outlook. Considering that in recent months rating agencies have downgraded the outlooks for some European countries, the confirmation of the outlook and ratings for Slovenia is proof that it is a solid and trustworthy country.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob attended the ninth summit of national leaders of the EU-MED9 grouping, held in Alicante, Spain, on Friday, 9 December.

Minister Fajon took part in the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), themed: "Three Continents, Three Oceans, a Common Destiny: Let's Build a Resilient and Sustainable OACPS". On the margins of the Summit, she held numerous bilateral meetings.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held bilateral consultations in Stockholm with Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Jessika Roswall. They discussed the priorities of the Swedish EU Council Presidency, current European and international topics and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December, the day that saw the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which is regarded as the foundation for all future international human rights instruments. This year's slogan is: "Dignity, Freedom, and Justice for All".

On this day 74 years ago, in recognition of the grave suffering and tragedies of WW II, the 50 Member States of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, one of the UN's fundamental documents.

Starting from December 9, 2022 the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia Beijing has worked in collaboration with the Inside-Out Art Museum to organize the “Beijing Conversations” series.

Slovenia has formally filed a declaration of intervention before the International Court of Justice in The Hague relating to the Ukraine vs Russian Federation proceedings for violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Minister of the Interior Tatjana Bobnar has attended the EU Home Affairs Council in Brussels, where the key item on the agenda was the extension of the Schengen area.

In today’s session, the Government was briefed on Slovenia’s successful participation in the cross-border, transnational and inter-regional Interreg programmes. The European Commission is presenting Slovenia as a success story.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Cairo is selling a passenger car model VOLVO S80 T5 Momentum Geartronic, year 2014, current mileage 74.000 km. The offer is intended for the general public/buyers on the local Egyptian market, who do not enjoy diplomatic privileges.

In Helsinki, State Secretary Štucin held bilateral consultations with Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen, Permanent State Secretary at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Jukka Salovaara and Director of Foreign and Security Policy in the Cabinet of the President Petri Hakkarainen.

Slovenia ranked ninth out of 180 countries on the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index, which is compiled by the Swiss-Korean think-tank Solability. It ranked first amongst all countries studied in terms of economic sustainability.

At today’s second meeting of the Strategic Economic Council, which was held in Lipica, members exchanged views for the first time regarding opportunities for the so-called ‘scale-up’ of innovative development companies, incentives for development jobs, the retention of highly-skilled domestic workers and the faster employment of such talent from abroad, and employee participation in profits.

The head of the government negotiating team, the Minister of Health Danijel Bešič Loredan, and the head of the trade union’s negotiating team, Irena Ilešič Čujovič, initialled an agreement on the resolution of strike demands, and on the implementation of the agreement on urgent measures in connection with wages in the health and social care sector, and on the continuation of negotiations.

During a bilateral visit, State Secretary Marko Štucin met with Minister of State for Europe Laurence Boone. They discussed strengthening strategic relations between Slovenia and France and went on to exchange views on current European and international topics.

Today, Prime Minister Robert Golob attended the EU-Western Balkans summit in Tirana. The aforementioned summit of EU and Western Balkans leaders, which was held in one of the Western Balkan countries for the first time, focused on strengthening cooperation between the EU and Western Balkans in light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and on migration management.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the 21st session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and participated in the general discussion. Alongside the Assembly session, he engaged in numerous bilateral dialogues.

The government has adopted the Act Governing Aid to Businesses today to mitigate the consequences of the energy crisis. Aid to businesses includes subsidies due to high prices of electricity, natural gas and technological steam, subsidising two job preserving measures and measures aimed at ensuring the liquidity of companies. The estimated total aid amount of all measures is 1.2 billion euros.

At the proposal of the Minister of Health, the Government appointed Nataša Vidnar as the Acting Director-General of the Nursing Directorate at the Ministry of Health at the meeting by correspondence.

The Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, met with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, at Strmol Castle. They discussed the topics to be addressed by the European Council on 15 December 2022, in particular energy, migration, Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the EU's enlargement policy, with a focus on the Western Balkans.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has earmarked an additional 100,000 euros for humanitarian aid to Ukraine to help people survive the approaching harsh winter, as the devastating effects of the war continue.

During a visit to the Hague, State Secretary Marko Štucin met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Director-General for European Cooperation Anita van den Ende. They discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations and current European topics, including the situation in Ukraine, the energy crisis, the rule of law, EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, migration and Schengen.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon addressed more than 100 local staff members from almost all diplomatic missions and consular posts of the Republic of Slovenia, who are attending their first ever consultation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Irena Šinko and state secretary dr. Darij Krajčič presented the projects of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MKGP) under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) at the press conference today.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EUR 527,000 in EU funding for public passenger transport in Nova Gorica (project Integrated Territorial Investments, Urban Municipality Nova Gorica, Sustainable Mobility Measure – Public Passenger Transport).

On Thursday, 1 December 2022, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Regulation Amending and Updating the Regulation on the Method of Ensuring Rights to Persons with Temporary Protection, which entered into force on Saturday, 3 December 2022.

On 2 December 2022, a ceremony was held in an event tent at the Cirkovce substation to mark the completion of the Cirkovce-Pince transmission line project. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, and the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban. The Government Communication Office took care of the media logistics.

International Volunteer Day is an opportunity to place the spotlight on volunteers and their importance for the well-being of society. This year, volunteer organisations are highlighting their role in the strengthening of solidarity with the slogan ‘Together, Act Now’.

On 3 December, the Slovenian Embassy in Beijing organized the Slovenian-Chinese poetry reading, "Poetry is the Salt of the World". The event was organized in collaboration with the City Library Kranj, the Center for Slovene as a Second and Foreign Language of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana, Beijing Foreign Studies University and the Beijing restaurant Tian xia yan (The Lord of Salt).

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon addressed the panel entitled “Reviving Multilateralism: the UN in Times of Crisis” at the Rome MED 2022 (Mediterranean Dialogues) International Conference. In her speech, she emphasised in particular the importance of cooperation, dialogue and confidence-building in international relations.

"The construction of the Cirkovce–Pince transmission line could not have been completed at a better time, as Europe is preparing for the the much-awaited green transition, while at the same time such investments provide much-needed energy stability," said Prime Minister Robert Golob at a press conference held together with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban after the opening of the 2x400-kV overhead line. The ceremony was also attended by Croatian Economy Minister Davor Filipović.

Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec attended the two-day ministerial meeting of the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) Initiative in Krems, Austria.

Minister Irena Šinko has hosted her Turkish counterpart Vahit Kirişci, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye, for a two-day visit in Slovenia.

The recipients of Slovenia’s highest accolades for achievements in the arts for 2023 have been named. In line with the decision and resolutions of the Prešeren Fund Management Board, the 2023 Prešeren Award goes to multidisciplinary artist Ema Kugler, and the Academy-trained painter Prof. Herman Gvardjančič.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call to citizens, legal persons or other organisations for the identification of candidates for the 2023 Golden Bee Award.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the 29th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Łódź, Poland, where foreign ministers discussed the war in Ukraine and the current situation within the OSCE.

Prime Minister Robert Golob, President of the Republic Borut Pahor and President of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič organised and hosted a traditional reception for representatives of disabled people's organisations at Brdo pri Kranju ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is commemorated on 3 December.

Under the leadership of the National Coordination of Macro-Regional Strategies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Slovenia will hold the Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) from 1 November 2022 to 31 October 2023. Its term will conclude with the EUSDR Annual Forum, which Slovenia is planning to hold on 24–25 October 2023 at Brdo pri Kranju.

At today’s session the government determined the draft act on emergency intervention to address high energy prices, and began discussing the draft act on aid to the economy to mitigate the impact of the energy crisis. The government also adopted a response to the report filed by FIDES regarding the violation of the code of ethics by the Deputy Prime Minister Danijel Bešič Loredan.

In Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, where the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage is taking place, the multinational nomination of Lipizzan horse breeding traditions has been listed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

How will the unitary patent system simplify and improve the European patent system for the benefit of its users? This was the focus of today's event organised by the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for companies and interested professionals. The system is due to enter into force in April next year.

This year again, a pre-Christmas meeting of Slovenians in Finland was held in Helsinki, organized by our Honorary Consul Andreja Valtanen. Slovenian Ambassador Mihael Zupančič attended the gathering.

In Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, where the 17th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage is taking place, the 'Beekeeping in Slovenia, a way of life' project has been listed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The National Security Council (SNAV), consisting of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Infrastructure, and the Director of the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency, met today at the first regular meeting in this term.

This year’s national conference of non-governmental organisations, organised by the Centre for Information Service, Co-operation and Development of NGOs (CNVOS), is aimed at addressing online, media and physical assaults on non-governmental organisations at home and abroad. Speakers shall discuss how to protect against such assaults, how and when to efficiently respond to them, and how to communicate them. The participants were greeted by the Minister of Public Administration, Sanja Ajanovič Hovnik.

Minister of Justice dr. Dominika Švarc Pipan and State Secretary dr. Igor Šoltes visited the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and the Council of Europe, in light of the thirtieth anniversary of Slovenia's membership in the Council of Europe, which will take place next year.

The main topics of the visit of the Minister for Digital Transformation, Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh, to Osaka, Japan on 24 November 2022 were the announcement of deeper cooperation between Slovenian universities and the University of Osaka and its research centres, the use of robots in creating a more inclusive society, and the role of the Smart City Strategy in ensuring the digital and green transition.

Minister for Digital Transformation Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh attended the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) in Tokyo, Japan, on 22 November 2022. The meeting adopted a declaration agreeing that the development of an AI ecosystem is essential to address the complex challenges facing society, but that it must be safe and focused on human well-being.

Minister for Digital Transformation, Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh, met with prominent representatives of the Japanese government, business and academia working in the field of digital transformation at the start of her official visit to Tokyo on 21 and 22 of November 2022. She also took part in a roundtable discussion on country practices and challenges of global cooperation in the development and use of artificial intelligence, organised by the GPAI on 22 of November 2022.

At today’s sessions of the government committees, the government, among other things, recapitalised the Public Fund of the Republic of Slovenia for Regional and Rural Development, activated the new item in the budget titled Increase of earmarked assets of the Slovene Enterprise Fund - Expensiveness, adopted multiple decisions on the reallocation of the national budget funds, and included some new projects in the applicable Development Programmes Plan 2022-2025.

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar attended the Ministerial Council between the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean, Pacific States. The Ministers discussed global issues, in particular food and energy security, the Post-Cotonou Agreement, the implementation of the Partnership Agreement, the Global Gateway Strategy and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), as well as cooperation in international forums.

At today’s correspondence session, the government adopted a regulation that defines the upper threshold of energy product prices for major commercial electricity consumers.