Energy Subsidies: Problems for 1.2 Million Small Businesses and Freelancers

The topic of subsidies concerns shops, bakeries, hairdressers, confectioneries, etc. with a power of up to 35 kVA, which received electricity subsidies from the state (Energy Transition Fund) in the amount of 800 million euros (01/01/2022-31/12/2022) during the twelve months of the energy crisis ).

Electricity companies routinely send letters to their commercial customers (<35 kVA) asking them to submit a ΥΔ (responsible statement) and declare all government subsidies that they received during the period under review as part of other programs to support their business activities.

Electricity suppliers report that during this period they subsidized their commercial consumers using their own resources (money)as the Home Office gave the green light to support consumers through the energy transition fund, but without the government obtaining the appropriate permission from the European Commission.

The approval came a few months later and did not cover the entire year 2022, but the period from 01/02/2022 to 11/30/2022, and for enterprises that did not receive other government subsidies, it was implemented within certain monetary limits.

So today There was a hole of about 500 million euros in suppliers’ coffers. This is the amount they intend to return as the government is at an impasse. In general, it turns out to be a very labor-intensive process, requiring all hundreds of thousands of commercial consumers to obtain a “beneficiary certificate” and then pay specified amounts to them.

Unfortunately, once again, government agencies responsible for compiling and sending lists of specialist beneficiaries of other government-subsidized programs are asking private companies to do so in good faith with respect to their commercial clients. If the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance, does not take urgent measures to solve this problem, business will face a number of problems that will affect the orderly operation of the energy market.

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