Joveva tells Naš Čas weekly: “Quite simply: if media freedom is eroded, democracy falls.”

In the Šaleška region weekly Naš čas, published on Thursday, 6 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke about her personal life, her work in the European Parliament, the priorities of her political group Renew Europe and her visit to Velenje. She also stressed the importance of drafting the European media legislation, where she is involved as one of the rapporteurs: “Quite simply, if media freedom is eroded, democracy falls.”

The interview began with slightly more personal questions and Joveva answered that she has always lived her life in accordance with the European Union’s motto ‘United in Diversity’. She would describe herself as an altruist, who cannot stand injustice, a know-it-all attitude and hate speech, and she wakes up every day wanting to be a good role model.

‘‘Every night I wonder if my late mother would have been proud of me. I believe and feel that she would be, because I remain true to myself, to my voters and my values..’’

In continuation, the MEP presented her work in parliamentary committees. One of them is the Committee on Culture and Education, where she acts as a rapporteur for Renew Europe on the European Media Freedom Act. The debate currently revolves around the guidelines and proposed amendments to the Act, with negotiations on the final text to follow.

Under the same committee, Joveva is involved in ensuring quality education, lifelong learning and volunteering. She is also a member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, where she is particularly committed to the topics of equal pay for equal work and a ban on unpaid EU traineeship. In addition, she is active in the Special Committee on the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, and recently became Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Public Health. In the latter, she wants to focus on equal access to healthcare and mental health issues.

The interview also touched on the MEP’s fight for the equality of the Slovenian language in the digital world. The Ministry of Culture intends to overhaul the legislation, while Joveva, meeting with representatives of the companies that discriminate against Slovenian, made clear that she intends to persist for as long as it takes. When asked where her drive for this subject comes from, she replied:

‘‘From a very personal experience with my father who does not speak English but wishes to – and rightly so – keep up with the times. /…/ Then I took a wider perspective and thought about young people, the blind, the visually impaired, the deaf and hard of hearing. They are all discriminated against because certain foreign companies have decided that they are not obliged to respect Slovenian, an official EU language, on the Slovenian, i.e. EU market. This is unacceptable.’’

Joveva also referred to recent reports of corruption in the European Parliament:

‘‘There is no excuse for these actions. They need to be investigated. Such deeds are beyond my comprehension. For me, transparency always comes first, and I have set the strictest possible rules for myself and my team.’’

Concluding the interview, Joveva also touched on her work related to the Western Balkans, as she is also Vice-Chair of the parliamentary delegation responsible for relations between the European Parliament and North Macedonia.

‘‘There has long been too much empty talk on the European side. We cannot just talk, promise and even dictate, while giving nothing. Of course it is right to demand reforms and set certain conditions, but what we promise must be delivered. The Western Balkans are and must be part of the EU’’