August the 18th, 2023 – Are Croatian electricity prices set to shoot back up again? The measure capping how much it can cost is due to expire in a mere month’s time.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, following a three-week break, the Croatian Government held a regular session recently. It’s worth noting that over the past twenty days, it did have four telephone sessions where it made decisions on fuel prices, as well as helping Slovenia to clean up after the consequences of the storm that hit it.
Usually, before the beginning of the school year, the government has various decisions concerning the financing of textbooks and other educational materials for middle school students on the agenda, as well as transportation for high school students. While these decisions will help the general public while inflationary woes are still a very stark reality, government ministers will still have to make some more decisions that will significantly affect household budgets across Croatia.
Croatian electricity prices and anti-inflation measures
The government’s anti-inflationary measures were based on decisions to cap Croatian electricity prices, as well as those of gas and thermal energy. While the price of gas remains capped until April the 1st next year, and until then the reduced rate of VAT will be applied to that energy product as well as to thermal energy, the government will have to consider the situation with Croatian electricity prices very soon. Its price for households, institutions, non-profit organisations, as well as a large number of companies at the time of the highest prices on the market, has thankfully been capped owing to government decisions. That said, these price caps will only remain valid for a little more than a month, that is, until September the 30th, 2023, Novi list writes.
Prices have stabilised on the market
In the meantime, prices on the market have stabilised, and there was a decision passed to limit the highest wholesale price to 180 euros per megawatt hour was made by the European Commission. Despite that, surely neither the general public nor the economy want to start the autumn and heating season without clear decisions about what will happen with Croatian electricity prices and whether they will remain at their current levels whether a gradual price increase is possible.
Although nothing will happen in terms of gas prices, the government will have to finally resolve the situation with gas itself, which HEP was obliged to buy from INA at a price of 47.6 euros.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has constantly emphasised, since this was revealed back in early July, that he is collecting data, that the issue is complex, but that he won’t be able to avoid expressing the government’s position on the whole situation for much longer, concludes Novi list.
