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Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has criticized the Slovenian government for its actions on media rights and the courts, which have highlighted the chaos of the EU president in the country.
At a six-month conference in Slovenia to run the EU, von der Leyen reiterated the need for free and independent journalists as a “definition of democracy” and wanted Prime Minister Janez Jansa withholding funds from the public media.
In the exchange, he asked Jansa to nominate his country’s representatives to the new European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO) “very urgently”, and insisted that judges have the right to express their views.
Opponents are deeply concerned about the Slovenian democracy as well rules, within the fear that Jansa might follow a the same way as Viktor Orban, the most meaningless prime minister in Hungary.
Standing next to von der Leyen, the Jansa defended their government’s reputation and insisted that it support EU principles that respect human rights – as well as the “cultural differences” among its members. “Laws are the foundation of European development,” he said.
Their anti-press conference followed a tense meeting between Jansa and the EU Commissioners visiting the country.
One moment of surprise, Jansa showed a picture of two Slovenian judges who were photographed on the left by politicians, meaning that their country’s courts were politically motivated, according to those familiar with the conference.
Frans Timmermans, vice-chancellor of the committee and a member of the Socialists and Democrats, later refused to appear in public. “I will not be on the same level with Prime Minister Jansa,” he said.
What was supposed to be a meeting to discuss Slovenia’s negotiations with the EU, turned into an incident when the Slovenian prime minister complained about the way their country was being treated, highlighting a strained relationship with Brussels.
Von der Leyen did not mention the picture at the conference afterwards, but told reporters that judges have the right to political parties, adding that “this is true in every democracy.”
In March, the Slovenia Association of State Prosecutor filed a complaint with the Council of Europe, the democratically regulated body of the region, alleging “so-called” unconstitutional pressure “on criminal justice cases. It also noted Slovenia’s lack of two delegates to the European Prosecutor’s Office, which was set up to misuse EU funds.
Jansa often uses Twitter to attack media organizations and journalists. At an EU summit last month he also mentioned Orban’s support for the crisis controversy of a Hungarian bill banning or exposing LGBTI + people in schools and journalists.
The meeting was held on Thursday when the council approved a plan for recovery and resilience in Slovenia, the EU’s most important sector of $ 1.8 billion and 705 million loans under the Next Generation EU plan.
Jansa thanked von der Leyen at a press conference on how Brussels handled the epidemic and announced his belief in EU principles. He also said his country could be a “fair trade” and it was unreasonable to expect the alliance to be a melting pot when “we all think the same way”.
No one can accuse his country of violating the right to justice, he said, and defend his country as it oversees the EPPO. While other countries, including Sweden, Ireland, Hungary and Poland, had not yet joined the agreement, Slovenia had no intention of returning.
He also defended his government’s proposal to reduce funding for Slovenian STA’s company this year, pointing out that the money was made through paperwork and a solution could be found.
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