After Portugal, it is Slovenia’s turn to take the rotating presidency of the European Union, this Tuesday, but its quarrels with Brussels over the rule of law, cooperation with the European public prosecutor’s office and freedom of the press raise concerns.
This is the second time that the Alpine state of two million inhabitants has occupied this position, but the atmosphere is quite different today.
“National identities”
In 2008, Slovenia was seen as a model student of Europe and the presidency was celebrated as a milestone on the road to independence for this country which emerged from the former Yugoslavia. Conservative leader Janez Jansa was already at its head. Since then, he has distanced himself from liberal values and his detractors accuse him of copying the authoritarian style of his sovereignist ally Viktor Orban. Among the priorities announced for the next six months, Slovenia will hold a summit on the integration of the Western Balkans in the autumn.
She also hopes to “strengthen the resistance of the EU” in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when countries are preparing to receive the 750 billion euros planned by Brussels to revive the economy. But attention will focus on another point of its program: Slovenia indeed promises to “strengthen the rule of law and European values”, a subject that divides among the 27. At a summit last week , Janez Jansa refrained from overwhelming his counterpart Viktor Orban, under fire from critics for a law deemed homophobic. He called to avoid “new unnecessary divisions”, while on the official website of the presidency, he advocates respect for “national identities”, echoing the speech of the Hungarian Prime Minister.
“Constant tensions”
In the same vein, the 62-year-old leader met the head of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, Giorgia Meloni, as well as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, used to tussles with the EU. Skirmishes have been numerous with the Commission since the return to power of Janez Jansa in March 2020. Ignoring the calls to order, he has stepped up attacks against journalists and deprived of public funding, the national press agency STA, qualified as “national shame” for its tone considered too critical. In March, he cut short a videoconference with MEPs devoted to the press situation in his country, considering himself a victim of “censorship”. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounced its “contempt” for press freedom.
“We are concerned about the risk that the Slovenian government will take advantage of this presidency to hamper efforts to strengthen media freedom in Europe,” wrote the NGO in a statement, calling on other member states to “be vigilant”. The leader also refused to appoint two prosecutors delegated to the European public prosecutor’s office, a new body for the fight against fraud. His boss criticized in return “a manifest lack of cooperation”. “These are things that worry us”, comments French MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Green group), rapporteur on Hungary in the European Parliament, noting “the very close proximity between the Slovenian Prime Minister and Viktor Orban”.
“We don’t owe the EU anything”
“It is not easy to know how the Slovenian Presidency will approach the question” of the follow-up to the Article 7 procedure initiated in 2018 against Budapest for “risk of a serious violation of the values of the EU”, she said. , noting “contradictory echoes” on this subject. One thing is certain, for Uros Esih, daily columnist Delo : “There will be constant tensions between the Slovenian presidency, its proposals and the European institutions”. In response to criticism, Janez Jansa has cracked down on outrageous tweets.
“We don’t owe the EU anything. We fought for our freedom and democracy thirty years ago ”, even launched the one who is sometimes nicknamed“ Marshal Twitto ”. Slovenian Violeta Bulc, former European commissioner, fears that the presidency will end with a very poor record or a “scandal”, according to comments published Monday by the magazine Report. Unless the Jansa government is overthrown before, she points out, when it has had to face several motions of no confidence and the sling continues in the street: thousands of people again asked for his resignation on Friday.