Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.
Factsheet for measure SI-2022-32/2836 – Updated – measures in Slovenia
Country | Slovenia , applies nationwide |
Time period | Temporary, 01 August 2022 – 31 March 2023 |
Context | War in Ukraine |
Type | Legislations or other statutory regulations |
Category |
Responses to inflation
– Support for energy bills |
Author | Maja Breznik (University of Ljubljana) and Eurofound |
Measure added | 12 September 2022 (updated 28 February 2023) |
On 31 August 2022, the Parliament unanimously passed two laws to cushion the effects of the rising energy prices on households and businesses. Temporary measures to mitigate the effects of rising costs on the most vulnerable groups act (Zakon o začasnih ukrepih za odpravo posledic draginje za najranljivejše skupine prebivalstva, ZZUOPD) endows the right of one-time support to households which cannot make ends meet due to rising energy prices. The measure covers households receiving social benefits or income support or will become eligible to obtain one of the two social supports until 31 March 2023.
Support for energy bills is a one-time monetary compensation for households receiving either social benefits or income support. The amount of support depends on the size of a household:
The measure will be in force from 1 August 2022 to 31 March 2023. The government estimates that about 63,000 or 71,000 households will be entitled to one-time energy support. The number is not final, given that the eased conditions for obtaining social benefits (during the validity period of the measure, the claimant property except savings and financial assets will not enter into the calculation of social benefits) may increase the number of eligible households. The state will also abstain from claiming the recompensation for energy support from the beneficiary’s heritage.
One-time energy support is automatic, and no application is required. The first payoff will occur in November 2022. The total costs for the state intervention are estimated at a minimum of €18.4 million and a maximum of €41.1 million.
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
03 October 2022 |
Families entitled to child benefit(s) received extra allowances due to rising prices and inflation. So-called dearness inflation allowances were paid three times (from November 2022 to January 2023) together with the regular payments of child benefits. Payments are automatic and require no application. Allowances progressively increase from the highest to the lowest income bracket. |
Unknown.
Workers | Businesses | Citizens |
---|---|---|
Does not apply to workers | Does not apply to businesses |
Disabled
People on social benefits |
Actors | Funding |
---|---|
National government
|
National funds
|
Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:
Trade unions | Employers' organisations | |
---|---|---|
Role | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative | Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative |
Form | Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies | Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies |
Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
The social partner organisations, members of the Economic and Social Council (ESS), discussed the draft law at the ESS meeting.
The Association of free trade unions of Slovenia - ZSSS proposed that people earning less than €841.93 a month (“labouring poor”) should also receive one-time energy support. The position of the Ministry of Labour remained unchanged. It claimed that support for energy bills targets households, not individuals and that the measure also covers low-earning employees if they live in vulnerable households.
Citation
Eurofound (2022), One-time support for vulnerable groups’ energy bills, measure SI-2022-32/2836 (measures in Slovenia), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/SI-2022-32_2836.html
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