As of July 2004, all businesses will have the opportunity to select their electricity and gas suppliers. This will result from an almost completely liberalized energy market when households should receive such an option as of July 1, 2007. This stems from a draft energy bill, which the Economy Ministry has submitted for interdepartmental review. It should become effective from July 1, 2004.

According to valid legislation, by July 1, 2004 companies with an annual consumption of natural gas exceeding 15 million cubic meters will become the only companies eligible to select a natural gas supplier. After July 1, 2004, access to the gas transport network will be secured on the basis of a negotiated access. On the electricity market, companies with annual consumption above 20 GWh will have the right to select a supplier as of January 1, 2004.

Liberalization of the gas market is stagnating for the time being when only companies with large annual gas consumption can select a supplier. Another obstacle hindering the liberalization process, is the currently valid energy law that contains some limitations on gas imports, since gas supplier SPP has a contract with the Russian suppliers until 2008. The only other gas that can legally be imported is that which exceeds the minimum limit that SPP is obliged to import from Russia. A similar situation is in the electricity market when only regional power distributor Zapadoslovenska Energetika, operating in western Slovakia has been making use of the chance to import electricity through the transmission system of Slovenska Elektrizacna a Prenosova Sustava.

The draft energy bill creates a legal precondition for the operation of an open and non-discriminatory energy market, which will secure sufficient protection to sheltered clients and simultaneously enables supplier selection as well as third party access to transition and distribution networks.