The President of Uzbekistan has signed a decree aimed at improving public administration in the competition and consumer protection sectors.
The Committee for the Development of Competition and Consumer Rights Protection has been instructed to work with relevant ministries and departments to draft a resolution on the regulation of natural monopolies by independent regulators. This resolution should include an analysis of past projects and a review of legislation on tariff regulations.
The newly established independent market regulators will gradually take over the functions of the committee for the regulation and control of tariffs of subjects of natural monopoly by 1 January 2025.
By September 2023, Uzbekistan plans to present a new energy development program, which will include the liberalization of gas and electricity prices and the introduction of social consumption norms.
Tariff differentiation is expected to encourage consumers to save and reduce budget subsidies relative to the wealthy and most energy-consuming groups. Economists suggest that an open and competitive energy market is necessary to address power and gas outages.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev supports the transition to a free energy market but emphasized that it will be gradual. The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced that domestic electricity and gas tariffs will not increase in 2023.
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