From November 28 to 30, 2022, the 5th online conference Decarbonization of the Slovak Economy 2022 took place.
The conference was organized by EurActiv Slovakia and EurActiv Czech Republic and was dedicated to the topics of decarbonization of Slovak and Czech industry and transport, financing the green transition, building sustainability and energy transition in the EU and Slovakia.
Vice-President Miroslav Kiraľvarga (pictured on left) was also a guest on the second day of the conference, who spoke as a speaker in the panel entitled "This winter crisis does not end, what is Slovakia's plan?" The Minister of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, Ján Budaj, the President of the Association of Energy Suppliers, Jana Ambrošová, and the coordinator of the Climate Coalition, Lucia Szabová, also discussed with him.
The discussion focused on the fundamental issues of the current energy crisis: how to find a balance between short-term crisis measures and long-term climate goals, how to decarbonize industry while maintaining its competitiveness, or how to use renewable energy sources for Slovak households and industry and ensure energy efficiency.
In his speech, Miroslav Kiraľvarga clarified the current situation in energy-intensive industry and stressed that the solution to the crisis must be uniform within the EU. Both European and Slovak industries want to remain competitive, producing and decarbonizing at the same time, but any green solution requires increased electricity consumption and stable market conditions. He also commented on the limited possibilities of using renewable energy sources in industry and stressed the need to find realistic solutions in this area. "We need to look at the current situation in a realistic way. Switching to energy solutions from the green table alone is neither realistic nor safe for industry and households," he said. Finally, he also referred to the situation in Ukraine, the impact of the war on energy security, and called for a joint search for solutions to the current crisis.
