Ominous criticism at the beginning of Slovenia’s EU presidency

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The Prime Minister of Slovenia – Janez Janša PHOTO: Reuters

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The presentation of Slovenia’s priorities for the six months he will chair the EU Council was accompanied by devastating criticism of Prime Minister Janez Jansa in the European Parliament’s plenary hall, Offnews reported. The reasons are the problems with the rule of law and freedom of speech in the country. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has criticized the country for not yet appointing a delegated prosecutor to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.

In May, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa suspended the procedure for electing delegated prosecutors. EPP President Manfred Weber also called on the country to immediately nominate a representative to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. Weber added that “the rule of law is not a problem of individual states, but of the entire Union.” Iraqi Garcia of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats also called on the country to appoint a delegated prosecutor. Malik Azmani of Renew Europe also said that “the EC should not approve the allocation of funds under your recovery plan before independent Slovenian prosecutors are appointed to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.”

Jansha replied that “there are many other problems that are much more important than the one we are wasting time on now.” He promised, however, that Slovenia would have its own delegated prosecutor – despite the delay. “Please stop harassing journalists and judges,” said Renew Europe MEP Malik Azmani, who accused Jansa of “petty politics”. The prime minister responded to criticism of the country’s deteriorating freedom of speech with the words: “I am now heading the Slovenian government for the third time. Every time the index of media freedom in Slovenia rises, you can check this.”

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