The Office for Regulation of Network Industries (ÚRSO) considers a proposal to terminate the import of Russian gas into the European Union (EU) as liquidation for the Slovak Republic. In the framework of the comment procedure on the proposal of the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on the gradual termination of the import of natural gas from the Russian Federation, he has therefore submitted several comments, two of which are fundamental.
“Our position has been clear, purely professional and transparent for a long time. We only reject the mindless transposition of EU regulations. On the contrary, we want to choose what is beneficial for the Slovak Republic. And complete stopping of Russian gas imports means a liquidation impact on the Slovak economy, households and industry, ” The chairman of ÚRSO Jozef Holjenčík said.
The first fundamental comment on the Office concerns the need to extend the impact analysis to include economic impact on transport charges throughout the EU. It therefore proposes to supplement the proposal with a comprehensive comparison of costs before and after the cessation of gas imports from Russia. The second fundamental comment applies to the possibility of applying an exemption for a Member State if the prohibition of imports demonstrably causes significant economic damage. ÚRSO recommends introducing a mechanism that will allow an exemption or transitional period when applying the Regulation.
“With our fundamental comments on Brussels, we fulfill the primary role of the national regulator – to ensure stable gas supply for Slovak customers without a significant increase in prices,” added Holjenčík.
