At the end of last year, the Minister of the Environment, Ján Budaj, announced that the contributions from the Envirofond for Slovak industry would increase from the original three to eleven million euros. Employers of associations in the Republican Union of Employers (RÚZ) welcome this decision and consider it a good step that will help maintain the competitiveness of the Slovak energy industry.
The contribution from the Environmental Fund to compensate for increased electricity prices, due to the cost of greenhouse gas emission allowances reflected in the price, for Slovak companies in energy-intensive industries, increased in 2021 from three to eleven million euros. Finally, the energy-intensive industry in Slovakia, thanks to the decision of the Minister of the Environment Ján Budaj, received compensation that is at the level of approximately 60% of the average compensation within the EU member states. The increase in funding from Envirofond represents an increase of 175% compared to 2020.
In this context, the President of RÚZ, Miroslav Kiraľvarga, appreciated that after years of difficult discussions, the government is finally making decisions and taking steps in favor of the competitiveness of Slovak industrial companies, which employ tens of thousands of people in Slovakia. According to him, the increase in contributions is, in the end, a positive step for the whole country. "We are pleased that the Ministry of the Environment is aware of the importance of competitiveness. Because as long as companies are able to compete abroad, our economy will benefit. Businesses can grow, employers can employ more people and households do not have to worry about uncertainty. "This is a situation that we should strive for together," he added.
