Where are the data on the number of energy vulnerable customers and payments to energy vulnerable customers for the year 2024? We could find this data in the public domain before and it is prescribed that we have it in the public domain. How was 165 million euros of EU taxpayers’ money intended to help the most vulnerable, allocated to the Republic of Serbia on the basis of the Energy Roadmap through direct budget aid, spent?
According to the Regulation on energy vulnerable customers[1] The Ministry publishes cumulative data on its website on the number of energy vulnerable customers and disbursed funds to support energy-vulnerable customers, no later than April of the current year for the previous year with monthly overview. The Ministry did not do this in 2025, and if it did, the cumulative data were not published in the place where other documents are published. Until last year, the Energy Agency published these data in its annual work reports[2]. This year it did not do so for the first time, citing the obligation of the Ministry to do it[3]. As the Agency’s report was published in the last week of May, by the time of publication it was known that the Ministry had not fulfilled that obligation. Therefore, there is no information in the public domain about the number of energy vulnerable customers in 2024. If there were, we would all be able to see clearly and quickly with what amount of skill, responsibility and ethics everyone involved in the process of allocating and controlling the spending of 165 million euros of EU taxpayers, intended above all to help the most vulnerable to overcome the consequences of the energy crisis, behaved. Since there are none, we will repeat our opinion[4]: Those involved in these processes allocated and spent this money in an inadmissible non-transparent manner, did not achieve the goals they announced and did not achieve the goals they said they had achieved[5].
It is possible to use an old saying “so much the worse for the facts”. But then it is much worse for vulnerable groups. It is much worse for everyone else because it is in the public interest that goes beyond humanity to support the vulnerable[6].
[1]https://mre.gov.rs/extfile/sector/sr/836/4/Zakon%20o%20izmenama%20i%20dopunama%20Zakona%20o%20energetici.pdf
[2] https://aers.rs/media/FILES/Izvestaji/Godisnji/Izvestaj%20Agencije%202023.pdf page 128.
[3] https://www.aers.rs/media/Files/Izvestaji/Godisnji/Izvestaj%20Agencije%202024.pdf page 129.
[4] https://resfoundation.org/rs/evropska-komisija-u-epizodi-pokusaj-ispravljanja-energetskog-siromastva-u-srbiji/
[5] https://www.rts.rs/lat/vesti/ekonomija/5667809/energetika-efikasnost-gliko-vukovic.html
[6] https://resfoundation.org/rs/sve-sto-ste-hteli-da-znate-o-energetskom-siromastvu-u-srbiji-2021/