Director of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Marko Bislimoski says that the Regulatory Commission should determine the price of water, because it will relax the political pressure on the operation of these public utilities.
“We have no pressure in that part, and the members of the Council are from different political parties and the majority always tries to make a relatively popular decision. But you know that in the past there are many municipalities where there is an interruption in the water supply. During that period, every household will surely buy a bottle of water from a store. A bottle of water is not less than 15 denars, that is the saving they say. It is very important with those funds that are very important for these public utilities to be able to invest, to improve the quality and of course to influence the reduction of water losses, which in this sector, and according to the report of the State Audit Office, are enormous and in some municipalities amount to 80 percent. What strategy are we talking about if we have 80 percent water losses. It is like in a car factory to produce 100 cars, and 80 to be problematic, so there is no business here, there is nothing serious. That is why we propose ERC as an independent body that has already been established and has been functioning for 17-18 years, as it sets prices for electricity, natural gas and heat, to do the same for water, i.e. to say the final price for each company,” said Bislimovski in an interview with Radio Free Europe.
