15/4/2016 TOWARDS PROTECTION OF THE MOST VULNERABLE FROM SUSPENSION OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

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15/4/2016 TOWARDS PROTECTION OF THE MOST VULNERABLE FROM SUSPENSION OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Human Rights Action (HRA) on February 17 submitted a letter to the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare urging it to urgently ensure application of Article 198 of the Electricity Law, which prohibits the suspension of electricity supply to vulnerable consumers, who have outstanding obligations for consumed electricity. This law came into force in January 2016. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has not responded yet. The original letter (in Montenegrin) is available here.

Only this year more than 20 families contacted HRA to ask for help because, despite the subventions, they are not capable to pay electricity bills due to insufficient social benefits (also according to UN CESCR). The media in Montenegro report daily about most vulnerable citizens living in difficult conditions, and even without electricity.

Unfortunately, all this is not enough to motivate Minister of Labour and Social Welfare  Zorica Kovačević to stand up for the application of the cited article, which should enable the protection of vulnerable consumers ie. health and social vulnerable consumers. After Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, due to the interest of journalists of daily Dan – Milan Sekulić, sent to the Ministry of Economy and this Ministry said that this is still carried out “procedure of choice supplier for the last elections concerning non-exclusion from the network of certain categories of households in need,” we conclude that even this Ministry is not in no hurry to provide the protection of vulnerable customers from disconnection.

Please find more details in the text of daily Dan „Poor people in the dark despite the law”.