“In the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), we have proposed that all those engaged in economic activity, regardless of which energy products they use, should receive financial aid to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis. The Golob coalition rejected the proposal to the detriment of the economy!” the largest opposition party recently said.
The Government of Robert Golob has repeatedly disappointed the people on several occasions recently. Among other things, people are concerned about the illegal pressure on the police and the suppression of critical thought, which is still present in the few media outlets that do not blindly agree with everything that the current government does. But more than the beginnings of an authoritarian state system (let us also remind you of the legally controversial security unit that has been created for Golob under the leadership of Miloš Njegoslav Milović), citizens are now concerned about their bare survival.
After a long-lasting health crisis and the temporary closing of the economy, we are now facing an energy crisis, as a result of the war in Ukraine. The economic crisis is knocking on our doors with increasing force. The prices of basic necessities (especially food) are skyrocketing. People’s wallets are getting tighter and tighter,
while the government still wants to continue raising taxes. We can hardly expect sympathy from Golob’s team. Let’s just remember the Prime Minister’s words, spoken before the elections to the National Assembly: “I really don’t see what I would gain from lower taxes, except that I would have more money in my bank account, and maybe I would spend it on more stupid things.”
The Slovenian Democratic Party, the largest opposition party, has recently proposed that financial aid to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis should be given to all those engaged in any economic activity, regardless of the type of energy they use. According to the report, Golob’s coalition rejected the proposal – to the detriment of the economy. For more information, we contacted the SDS MP, Andrej Hoivik. He said: “We in the SDS party are of the opinion that we need to help the Slovenian economy at a time when, in the face of high inflation, we should strive to preserve as many jobs as possible.”
The government should listen to businesses
“We proposed that the aid formula be sensibly adjusted and the quotient for calculating the eligible costs for each month should be increased.” Hoivik believes that all energy products should be taken into account for allocating the subsidy, which was also part of the party’s proposal. And above all, the Golob government should listen to the business community. The SDS party believes that it is high time to introduce the so-called cap (the highest allowed price) on electricity prices, which was also proposed by the business sector.
If some other, economically better-developed countries can do it, the SDS party believes that the Slovenian government could do it, too. What is particularly controversial, however, are the prices of energy sold by the state-owned company Gen Energija (Gen Energy), which recently reached the number of around 180 euros per megawatt hour. The government and the Minister of the Economy, Matjaž Han, should have done more to help Slovenia get out of this crisis, which is exactly what was done during the previous, Janša government. Back then, appropriate measures and effective anti-corona legislative packages were adopted, which was then followed by the highest economic growth in the European Union and historically low unemployment.
Domen Mezeg
