Matovic: Gov't Fails to Meet Promises of Lower Gas Prices

Bratislava, November 30 (TASR) - The Government has failed to meet its promises of lower gas prices for households, 'Slovakia' party chair Igor Matovic declared on Thursday. Matovic pointed out that when he had been a prime minister in 2020-21, the Office for the Regulation of Network Industries (URSO) set household gas prices at €108 per MWh and his cabinet subsidized the price with €78 per MWh. "Throughout the whole year, they kept saying that Matovic set the gas prices wrong and, once they retake power, they would make the prices go down. But we scrunched the household prices with subsidies down to €30. Out of €108, we subsidized €78 and brought the commodity prices down to €30 for households," he claimed. Matovic criticised the fact that even though URSO set the regulated price at €79 per MWh, the household prices will remain at the same level they had been in the era of Matovic's cabinet. This means that the incumbent Government will subsidize the price less than they had been under his cabinet. "In the case of gas, we've learnt that in no way they'll be any cheaper," he added. On Tuesday (November 28), URSO issued a decision on behalf of the SPP gas utility, according to which the 2024 gas prices are expected to almost double in 2024. Subsequently, on Wednesday (November 29), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced that he will oust URSO chair Andrej Juris and find a solution to prevent the 2024 gas prices from going up. mf