”We must not sit idly by. We must insist and exert pressure.”

On Friday, 7 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva appeared as a guest of the national TV show Koda (Code). In the feature When will all phones, car systems and video libraries speak Slovenian? she talked about her efforts to ensure that the Slovenian language is offered by various digital platforms, and stressed that discrimination against Slovenian should not be allowed anywhere. We should not sit idly by, but insist and exert pressure, she added.

She said that most companies had responded to her appeals made in recent months. At the meetings, everyone was honest and direct, and representatives of Netflix and Disney admitted that they were not currently considering any changes in the near future that would involve expanding their offer to include Slovenian, but that they were aware of the issue and understood it. Nevertheless, the MEP is convinced that the solution is not to sit idly by, but to confront the situation with serious intentions, calls and warnings. We must not stop, she insisted.

Indeed, it is precisely through such pressure that other smaller nations and countries, such as Iceland, managed to achieve that the content is offered in their respective language.

”This proves that it can be done. That a small market or fewer people speaking a language may not serve as an excuse.”

The MEP also said that Article 20 of the Public Use of the Slovenian Language Act is appropriate and clear enough in its current form, stipulating that companies are obliged to offer Slovenian, but that it can evidently still be circumvented. Joveva therefore welcomes the additional pressure that the revised legislation will create.

”We need to ensure that it can no longer be interpreted according to one’s liking. It needs to be worded very clearly in the sense that discrimination of Slovenian should never be allowed – not even in the digital world.”

The show also featured comments by Anže Tomič, co-creator of the Odbita do bita podcast, Kozma Ahačič, Head of the Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language, and Lenart J. Kučić, Media Advisor to the Minister of Culture.