As Macedonia remains mired in a deep energy crisis, with very low domestic electricity production and exorbitant import prices for both power and gas, the director of the RKE energy regulator Marko Bislimoski tried to paint a rosy picture of the situation.

The price of electricity went up by just 9.48 percent and there are no restrictions. Apocalyptic scenarios that the electricity price will go up by 50 percent did not come true, Bislimoski said before the Parliament economic committee.

The baseline price indeed went up by under 10 percent, but a popular subsidy was also abolished, which puts the actual increase to about 15-20 percent. And the shortfall between the high import price and the regulated retail price is covered by the Government from the public budget, through the state owned ELEM/ESM energy company to the tune of at least 60 million EUR for the winter so far, meaning that the hidden cost to the public is far greater.