Thanks to a verdict yesterday of the District court of Bratislava I, Slovakia might not have to compensate Slovenské elektrárne quite yet for the contested regulation of prices under the first government of Robert Fico (Smer-SD).
The company had been demanding over EUR 94 million from the Ministry of Economy in compensation for lost earnings it claims to have incurred as price proposals were rejected by utilities regulator URSO. The court ruled that “the existence of an illegal decision had not been proven, a basic requisite of liability of the state for compensation of the loss”, according to court spokesman Pavol Adamčiak.
The company is claiming due to regulation of prices for households and small organisations, and may appeal against the latest verdict. The verdict could also strengthen Slovakia’s negotiation position in respect of the extra money being claimed from Enel for the privatisation of SE, set last year by the National Property Fund at around EUR 100 million.
The former monopoly gas supplier SPP is in a similar situation, having launched a total of 19 lawsuits against the regulator URSO in one year, according to Hospodarske Noviny, over its consistent rejection of proposals to increase gas prices for the regulated segments of households and small businesses.