”They have given assurances, but I will follow the progress”

On Wednesday, 29 March 2023, MEP Irena Joveva met with Apple representatives. They discussed the (non-)use of the Slovenian language on Apple’s operating systems, products and services. This meeting – unlike previous ones – gave the MEP a little more hope that things would move forward, as the company assured her that localising their content into Slovenian was a priority. Nevertheless, Joveva said she would be keeping a close eye on the progress, which must not remain an empty promise. They agreed to stay in regular contact.

The meeting with Apple followed the letter the MEP addressed to Apple’s CEO Tim Cook in January this year. She was then contacted by the company’s representatives responsible for Central and Eastern Europe, who met her at her office at the European Parliament in Brussels on Wednesday, 29 March 2023.

They explained first and foremost that Apple is aware of the issue of localisation of its products and services and that Slovenian is their priority in this respect.

According to Joveva, nobody at the meeting minced their words, the conversation was very direct. The company representatives were well-informed about the events and developments that followed the MEP’s letter on the use of Slovenian in the digital world. The company obviously also knows the background of the issue and follows the developments in this area at both the European and national level. They also said that they were aware of the conclusions of the meeting of the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture, as well as of the announced revision of the national legislation on the use of the Slovenian language.

“We have talked frankly about all possibilities for a more stringent approach, legislative and otherwise. Because of their attitude I count on the company not to be making empty promises, but I made it clear that I shall not content myself with merely receiving perfunctory answers. We therefore agreed to keep in regular contact so that I can closely follow the progress on everything they have said they intend to resolve regarding Slovenian on their operating systems.”

BACKGROUND

MEP Joveva began her fight for the presence of Slovenian in the digital world with a letter sent on 15 September 2022 to the CEOs of Amazon Prime, Disney+ and Netflix. She called upon them to ensure that subtitles and dubbing are also available in Slovenian. On 12 January 2023, she also sent a letter to the CEO of Apple, calling for the use of Slovenian on the company’s operating systems, products and services. The letters were followed by a strong public response, which led to her being invited to a meeting on the subject by the National Assembly’s Committee on Culture. The meeting took place on 27 February 2023, and it resulted in a unanimous endorsement of MEP Joveva’s efforts and of the need to reform Slovenian legislation in this area.