Plenary session on the President-in-Office of the Council: Slovenia, of all places, now of all places

Tensions right at the beginning of the EU Council Presidency: Slovenia’s Prime Minister Jansa can expect a cool reception in the EU Parliament, where he wants to present his program today. A lot has built up.

Slovenia, of all places, now of all places: In Brussels, the enthusiasm for the new EU Council Presidency is manageable. After all, Janez Jansa, a right-wing populist and Trump fan, has taken on the role of European class representative for six months. Jansa has been extremely controversial in large parts of the EU since he took office as the Slovenian head of government over a year ago, among other things because of his repeated attacks on freedom of the press. The Slovenian news agency, for example, describes the Prime Minister as a “national disgrace” and withholds money that the press house is actually entitled to.

Under the guise of Corona measures, the government in Ljubljana is restricting freedom of assembly and taking action against unpopular journalists. On Twitter, Jansa, like Donald Trump, criticizes political opponents and alleged left-wing conspirators. In the dispute over the law against a neutral representation of homosexual, transgender and intersex people in Hungary, he is firmly on the side of his friend Viktor Orban.

Jansa also blocks the sending of two prosecutors to the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is therefore unable to work in Slovenia. There is great concern that the rifts within the EU will tend to deepen under Slovenian leadership.

Scandal already on the inaugural visit

The EU Presidency is supposed to act as a mediator, build bridges and look for compromises. However, this time the start was more than chilled: the EU Commission’s first visit to Ljubljana even caused a diplomatic uproar. Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans accused Jansa of defaming two judges and two Social Democratic MPs and boycotted the traditional “family photo”.

At the joint press conference, Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen warned the Slovenian Prime Minister to adhere to the rule of law such as freedom of the press and the independence of the judiciary and to immediately nominate the two Slovenian investigators for the EU public prosecutor’s office – which Jansa noted with a petrified expression . So, to put it mildly, the conditions for a successful EU Council Presidency are far from ideal.

The Jansa government wants to do this under the motto “Together. Resilient. Europe.” Move a lot in the next six months. For example, in economic reconstruction after the Corona crisis, in digitization or in the fight against climate change. In addition, the EU should better arm itself against cyber attacks and become less dependent on third countries in the manufacture of drugs, vaccines or medical equipment, keyword: strategic autonomy. All of this is comparatively undisputed across the EU and could therefore also be part of the work program of any other country.

Common European core values

It is likely to be much more difficult with the EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, which Slovenia wants to promote. France, for example, is slowing the start of accession talks with Albania and North Macedonia and will hardly change this attitude before the presidential elections next year. There have recently also been reservations in Bulgaria and the Netherlands. In view of Jansa’s political closeness to migration hardliner Orban, it is also more than questionable whether progress will be made in the European asylum reform under the Slovenian Presidency.

And then there is also the discussion about fundamental European values. In autumn, the EU Commission will present the results of the next Rule of Law TÜV. In view of the political developments in Poland or Hungary, some explosive material is to be expected. Slovenia is also under closer scrutiny, but has nonetheless inscribed “strengthening the rule of law as a common European value” in its program. The EU states should learn from one another, expressly under “respect for national constitutions and traditions”.

It will be interesting to see what exactly the Slovenian government understands by this. Orban had finally stated that the much-invoked unity of European values ​​does not actually exist.