Skopje, 25 August 2022 (MIA) — Minister of Economy Kreshnik Bekteshi said a state of crisis in energy will be declared Thursday evening at the national level, coming into force on Sept. 1. In accordance with the law, the state of crisis may continue in the next 30 days, Minister Bekteshi said at a press conference held after his meeting with Arachinovo Mayor Ridvan Ibraimi. After the meeting, Minister Bekteshi said the power utility company EVN Macedonia on Monday would start sending teams to the Municipality of Arachinovo to collect bills from Arachinovo locals as well as from inhabitants of other places who have not been paying for electricity. He said he would also ask the Interior Ministry to look into municipalities with large distribution losses because electricity theft, he said, was factored in as a cost when forming electricity prices. Bekteshi confirmed there were distribution losses in the Municipality of Arachinovo, but added that this kind of electricity theft was also noticed in Kumanovo (16.2 percent), Tetovo (10.7 percent), Gostivar (19.3 percent), Kichevo (12.1 percent), and Skopje (19.6 percent). He said legal action would be taken in all these cases. “I am urging everyone to respect the law,” Bekteshi said. “The legal provisions are aimed at not jeopardizing the electricity supply or the distribution system.” He stressed that stealing electricity, or illegally connecting to the power supply network, is a crime punishable by law. An EVN representative said the meeting had focused on all stakeholders’ compliance with the law so the power utility company could provide uninterrupted power supply and equal services to all consumers. mr/