Slovenian Minister of Economy Matjaz Han confirmed that the Government has prepared an aid package under which some 40 million euros will be disbursed to businesses in 2022 and 2023 in order to help them mitigate the effects of the energy crisis and rising energy prices.
According to Minister Han, 20 million euros will be available by the end of this year and another 20 million by mid-March 2023. Two types of aid respectively capped at 500,000 and 2 million euros per beneficiary will be available for the financing of higher energy costs.
The first type of aid will cover at least 30 % of electricity or gas costs provided that energy prices are at least twice above last year’s average. A maximum of 30 % of total costs can be covered. The second type of aid is set aside for energy- intensive companies which will be eligible only if they are operating at a loss. In this case, up to 70 % of their energy costs will be covered. Companies that have access to regulated gas and energy prices, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, are not eligible for this aid scheme.
Minister Han said the measure was in line with EU state aid rules and had been cleared by the European Commission.
The Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has already welcomed the aid package, describing it as an appropriate measure considering the EU legal framework. But it also noted that the aid will only suffice for the time being and said it expected additional aid in the autumn. According to the Chamber, this aid package does not address the major unknowns concerning the certainty of gas supplies or the very likely escalation of energy prices for business users next year.
