Consumer Protection in the Electricity Market in the European Union and Slovenia
Vulnerable Customers and Emergency Supply
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18690/jet.18.2.123–142.2025Keywords:
consumer protection, vulnerable customers, emergency supply, electricity market, ZOEE, Directive (EU) 2019/944, energy poverty, Energy AgencyAbstract
The article examines consumer protection in the electricity market, focusing on vulnerable customers and the right to emergency supply. At EU level, it outlines the development from the energy legislative packages to Directive (EU) 2019/944, which strengthens consumer rights and requires Member States to define and protect vulnerable groups. In Slovenia, these issues are regulated by Article 33 of the Electricity Supply Act (ZOEE), implemented through the System Operating Instructions (SONDSEE) and the Energy Agency’s act on criteria for ensuring emergency supply. The article applies normative and comparative legal analysis, reviews the Energy Agency’s Annual Reports, and analyzes case law. The findings reveal a gap between regulation and practice, as only one request for emergency supply was approved in Slovenia, in 2019. It proposes clearer criteria, simpler procedures, and more effective consumer information, particularly for vulnerable groups, to ensure the right to emergency supply is realized in practice.
Downloads
References
[1] Resolucija o nacionalnem programu varstva potrošnikov 2024–2029 (ReNPVP24 29), Uradni list RS, št. 45/24
[2] Bratina, B. (ur.), et al. (2025), Zakon o oskrbi z električno energijo (ZOEE): s komentarjem. Ljubljana: Lexpera, GV Založba
[3] Energetski zakon (EZ-2), Uradni list RS, št. 38/24 in 47/25 – ZOEE-A
[4] Zakon o oskrbi z električno energijo (ZOEE), Uradni list RS, št. 172/21 in 47/25
[5] Directive 96/92/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 1996 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity, OJ L 27, 30.1.1997, p. 20–29
[6] Directive 2003/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2003 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 96/92/EC, OJ L 176, 15.7.2003, p. 37–56
[7] Cameron, P. (2005), Legal aspects of EU energy regulation: Implementing the new directives on electricity and gas across Europe, Oxford University Press
[8] Directive 2009/72/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 concerning common rules for the internal market in electricity and repealing Directive 2003/54/EC, OJ L 211, 14.8.2009, p. 55–93
[9] Pirnat, R. (2009), Pravna vprašanja prenosa tretjega paketa energetskih predpisov EU v slovensko pravo. V Strateško srečanje udeležencev energetskega trga »Inovacije energetika?« Prosperia, Brdo pri Kranju
[10] Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on consumer rights, amending Council Directive 93/13/EEC and Directive 1999/44/EC, and repealing Council Directive 85/577/EEC and Directive 97/7/EC, OJ L 304, 22.11.2011, p. 64–88
[11] European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, (2019, May 22), Clean energy for all Europeans package completed: Good for consumers, good for growth and jobs, and good for the planet. Brussels. Available: https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/clean-energy-all-europeans-package-completed-good-consumers-good-growth-and-jobs-and-good-planet-2019-05-22_en (16.8.2025)
[12] Directive (EU) 2019/944 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on common rules for the internal market for electricity and amending Directive 2012/27/EU, OJ L 158, 14.6.2019, p. 125–199
[13] Energetski zakon (EZ), Uradni list RS, št. 27/07 (uradno prečiščeno besedilo), 70/08, 22/10, 10/12, 94/12 – ZDoh-2L in 17/14 – EZ-1
[14] Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Energetskega zakona – EZ-A, Uradni list RS, št. 51/04 z dne 7. 5. 2004
[15] Predlog Energetskega zakona – EZ-1, Poročevalec Državnega zbora RS, 23. 10. 2013
[16] Zakon o spremembah in dopolnitvah Zakona o oskrbi z električno energijo (ZOEE-A), Uradni list RS, št. 47/25
[17] Tomažič, L. M., Bračič Tomažič, S., & Bratina, B. (2018), Vulnerable consumers, their health and urgent supply of electrical energy in Slovenian legal framework. Medicine, Law & Society, 11(2), 91–106. https://doi.org/10.18690/mls.11.2.91-106.2018
[18] Energetski zakon (EZ-1), Uradni list RS, št. 60/19 (uradno prečiščeno besedilo), 65/20, 158/20 – ZURE, 121/21 – ZSROVE, 172/21 – ZOEE, 204/21 – ZOP, 44/22 – ZOTDS, 38/24 – EZ-2 in 56/25
[19] Sistemska obratovalna navodila za distribucijski sistem električne energije (SONDSEE), Uradni list RS, št. 77/24
[20] Akt o kriterijih in pravilih za zagotavljanje nujne oskrbe z električno energijo, Uradni list RS, št. 48/16 in 172/21 – ZOEE
[21] Višje sodišče v Mariboru, Sklep I Cp 995/2018 z dne 4. 12. 2018
[22] Višje sodišče v Ljubljani, Sodba I Cp 2918/2017 z dne 30. 5. 2018
[23] Agencija za energijo, Poročilo o stanju na področju energetike v Sloveniji v letu 2019
[24] Agencija za energijo, Poročilo o stanju na področju energetike v Sloveniji v letu 2020
[25] Agencija za energijo, Poročilo o stanju na področju energetike v Sloveniji v letu 2021
[26] Agencija za energijo, Poročilo o stanju na področju energetike v Sloveniji v letu 2022
[27] Agencija za energijo, Poročilo o stanju na področju energetike v Sloveniji v letu 2023
[28] Agencija za energijo, Poročilo o stanju na področju energetike v Sloveniji v letu 2024
[29] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2013
[30] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2014
[31] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2015
[32] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2016
[33] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2017
[34] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2018
[35] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2019
[36] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2020
[37] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2021
[38] SODO d.o.o., Revidirano letno poročilo družbe SODO d.o.o. za leto 2022
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 University of Maribor, University of Maribor Press
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.