Regulation on Vulnerable Energy Consumers

The Energy Law (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 145/2014, 95/2018 – other law, 40/2021, 35/2023 – other law, and 62/2023 – the “Law“) regulates the category of vulnerable energy consumers within the legal system of the Republic of Serbia. A vulnerable energy consumer, as defined by the Law, is a household that, due to its social status or health condition, has the right to be supplied under special conditions.

Based on Article 10 of the Law, the Government has published the Regulation on Vulnerable Energy Consumers (“Official Gazette of the RS”, Nos. 137/2022, 46/2023 – other regulation, 93/2023, 103/2023 – other regulation, 116/2023, and 37/2024 – other regulation, the “Regulation“) which prescribes in more detail the conditions and procedure for acquiring the status of a vulnerable energy consumer. A vulnerable energy consumer, if meeting the prescribed conditions, acquires the right to a benefit—a reduction of the monthly obligation for certain quantities of electricity, natural gas, or thermal energy, and can only opt for one of these energy sources.

The criteria for obtaining the status of a vulnerable energy consumer are as follows:

1. Material status;
2. Established right to financial social assistance/child allowance/increased allowance for care and assistance from another person, or;
3. Established right of a household member – a pensioner/recipient of the lowest pension/temporary allowance/disabled child with an income of 24,987.67 dinars, and a concluded electricity supply contract in the name of the beneficiary—where the criterion from point 1 does not apply;
4. Health condition of a household member, if the household member uses medical devices necessary for maintaining health, powered by electricity, where the interruption of supply may endanger life or health—where the criterion from point 1 also does not apply.

The final amount of the total monthly income adjusted for consumer prices is determined by the Minister of Mining and Energy, who, on October 1, 2024, issued the Regulation on determining the adjusted amounts of total household income as a condition for acquiring the status of a vulnerable energy consumer. The adjusted income amounts for households are as follows:

1. For a household with one member – up to 24,211.23 dinars;
2. For a household with two members – up to 38,373.38 dinars;
3. For a household with three members – up to 52,535.53 dinars;
4. For a household with four members – up to 66,697.68 dinars;
5. For a household with five members – up to 80,859.83 dinars;
6. For a household with six members – up to 95,021.98 dinars;
7. For a household with more than six members – an additional amount of 14,162.15 dinars is added for each additional member.

The application for acquiring the status of a vulnerable energy consumer is submitted on prescribed forms that are published on the website of the Ministry of Mining and Energy, while the decision is issued with a validity period of up to the end of the calendar year, or a validity period of up to two years from the date of issuance for categories that acquire the status of a vulnerable energy consumer based on health condition criteria.