Read below the statement by MEP Irena Joveva (RE/LMŠ) on the draft anti-SLAPP Directive and on the triggering of the Rule of Law mechanism against the Hungarian Government:

“In line with the announcements made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the April plenary session of the European Parliament, the College of Commissioners today also formally endorsed the initiation of the formal procedure to activate against Hungary the general regime of conditionality due to breaches of the principle of the rule of law and the misuse of EU funds. But the actual triggering of the freezing of funds must also be approved by a qualified majority of the Member States’ Heads of Government in the Council. Still, the much-anticipated sanctions that the European Parliament has been calling for since the beginning of 2021, when the mechanism formally entered into force, will not cover everything we would have liked. The sanctions will focus solely on corruption and the associated problematic use of European funds through public tenders, where Viktor Orban – at the expense of public freedoms and the complete subjugation of democratic institutions – channelled European funds to his friends and family. The fight against corruption is certainly of paramount importance, but equally important is the protection of the rule of law, human rights and the independence of the judiciary, and it is unacceptable that these will not be covered by the sanctions announced. We shall insist that the European Commission should not approve the national recovery and resilience plans of Hungary and Poland until the independence of the judiciary, media freedom and the independence of regulatory agencies are ensured in those two countries. Unless EU values are adhered to, there can be no disbursement of EU funds.

In the same vein, I welcome the proposal for the so-called anti-SLAPP Directive, binding Union-wide legislation against strategic lawsuits lodged to block public participation. The directive will systematically protect journalists, civil society and non-governmental organisations from the abuse of legal remedies by actors seeking to silence critics in this way. I am pleased that the European Commission’s proposal incorporates all the main points the European Parliament has called for in its resolution, which I had the privilege of co-shaping as a member of the negotiating group working under the remit of the Committee on Culture. The most important element of the directive will be a legal mechanism allowing the courts to expeditiously dismiss cases that clearly qualify as SLAPP suits. I also welcome the provisions that, in the case of blatant abuse of a judicial remedy by lodging a SLAPP suit, the costs of the trial should be borne by the claimant. In the next steps, the European Parliament intends to tighten up the directive and extend some of its provisions. What I would wish, in particular, is to see a radical restriction on so-called ‘forum shopping’, through which claimants exert even more psychological and financial pressure on their critics. A necessary next step would be to make recommendations for Member States, such as provisions concerning data collection on SLAPP cases, training of judges and additional safeguards, binding already within the directive. It should not be forgotten that there are also SLAPP cases in Slovenia, and that they are used by the outgoing Prime Minister’s cronies as an attempt to silence critical journalists. Slovenia should treat defamation as a criminal offence in line with EU standards. It is high time that we ceased turning the other cheek to SLAP(P)s in investigative journalism and in the EU’s legal system.”

You completely subjugate the media. As well as justice and the prosecution. All state subsystems. At the same time, you build a powerful apparatus, funded by the national and/or European coffers. Which is, in fact, taxpayers’ money that is being channelled through projects to your friends, while you can use it to build a palace for your father which is not far from the capital city of the country you are running, and as you go along you funnel “surpluses” of money into the “media” of your political ally in a neighbouring country.

Because these “media” are essential for the current government in this neighbouring country. For spreading hatred, disinformation, for manipulating, lying, discrediting opponents and preserving a parallel reality for an information bubble in which “the right” is being encouraged.

The two authoritarian regimes in the two countries I described above are likely to consolidate power in the coming years, after winning the elections on 3 and 4 April respectively. Apparently forever. The opposition never even stood a chance. And this really should be a wake-up call for us in Slovenia (the neighbouring country referred to above). It is almost impossible to recover from such a situation. When democracy is gone and there is only a corrupt clique under the leadership of one party. The Party. When they pretend that this is one of the visions of Europe’s future, it is more reminiscent of authoritarian regimes in the east.

Every additional year – it needn’t be a year – even every additional month with Janez Janša in power could mean a similar thing for Slovenia. The election on 24 April will indeed be historic and perhaps the most important ever. There is enough choice and, contrary to how “the right” is portraying it, pluralism is on “the left”. I put these in quotes on purpose, because it is down to Janša that we are divided into the left and the right. Everything that is not the SDS or their satellite is the left. This simplistic binarity suits them, as they have to create some kind of enemies, much like there is a need – according to them – to “balance the media” because “balanced media” of the kind they have in Hungary make sure that the right Party wins. But … do you know what is sad about all this? The fact that Orban, Vučić and Janša have destroyed the right in their countries. Throughout this time and with all this money, they have not been able to create some kind of a European right-wing party, but rather a really miserly populism with supporters who believe they are smarter than everyone else. They would like to have their own public media outlet, their own parallel universes. The situation is so bad that it would look comical if it were not so sad. It is also sad that a certain percentage of people vote for them no matter how much long-term damage they cause, when in fact – if I may paraphrase (in a slightly censored manner) Marcel Štefančič – there are not many of them, for f***’s sake, and we know exactly who they are.

Witnessing the subjugation of the media, the judiciary, agencies, cultural institutions, the punishing of civil society … we see attempts to silence, step by step, the critical voices and to stop the prosecution of corruption, and fundamentally, attempts to subjugate or make people walk away by appointing politicised leadership, by shrinking budgets, discrediting everyone and endeavouring to take all the joy out of working in these sectors.

In the European Parliament, this policy, this “ideology” is kept on the sidelines. Despite its membership in the European People’s Party (EPP), the SDS is on the outer fringes of the populist right in the EU, while unfortunately this is mainstream in Slovenia and destroys not only our institutions, but also the general climate and public debate. Certain politicians – we know exactly who they are! – have made all this possible and still make it possible. Because of their own interests.

Ironically, it is precisely building on the historical ressentiment of some anti-communism feeling (“anyone but the left!”) that is leading the right to an authoritarian one-party system subordinated to the Leader with Stalinist methods that socialism in Slovenia had never known. I know that, even though I was born in 1989.

After the election, the democratic parties need to prove that they can take better care of the people, even though the current government has destroyed state subsystems to a large extent and left the Treasury empty. That was, of course, the plan. The right, meanwhile, desperately needs an overhaul, because such a “spring” is actually a winter where only those close to the fireplace of flaming forint can keep warm.

I have not been in politics long but if I know anything, I know that this time it will be about the very democratic order of Slovenia.

Let’s all go vote! There are more of us, for f***’s sake!

– Irena

On Friday, 1 April 2022, the MEP Irena Joveva hosted the leader of the LMŠ parliamentary group, Brane Golubović, for a live Instagram chat. They talked about many things, including the upcoming parliamentary elections and stressed that this is not a race of presidents, but of teams. Teams that have the knowledge, experience, maturity and solutions for the present and future. And Team LMŠ has it all!

Joveva and Golubović started the conversation with more light-hearted questions from the audience, such as what the leader of the LMŠ deputies does in his free time. He was also asked to share an anecdote from his last four years in the National Assembly, and Golubović replied that what particularly stuck in his mind was the December 2020 earthquake.

The audience was also interested in his assessment of the situation in the National Assembly over the last two years with the hung parliament, which Golubović described as very unfavourable for the stability of the country and caused by deputies who do not share common values and programmes, but only pursue their own personal and partisan interests. According to him, we should be tackling the key challenges that lie ahead, such as demography, technological development and climate change. And the key to starting to address these challenges is to change the current political set-up and to turn out for the elections on 24 April.

The two speakers agreed that right-wing populist politics deliberately divides society, as such an environment makes it is easier to govern. But both were also adamant that not everyone is the same.

“Every kind of populist politics strives to divide society. What’s the easiest way to instigate unrest in society? With lies. With half-truths, fake news, contempt for those with the wrong surname, colour, social or family status … That’s their goal. Their aim is to create so many lies and divisions in society that people no longer trust anyone, including the institutions. And this is the environment in which right-wing populists find it easiest to govern.”

When asked what was the biggest failure of the Slovenian government in the last three years, Golubović answered on three levels: the global, European and national. On the first level, the biggest mistake was congratulating Trump for winning the 2020 election, which did not happen. At the European level, the biggest blunder was the failure to appoint European delegated prosecutors and the encroachment on media freedom, and at the national level the referendum on water, which resulted in a clear vote of no confidence in the government and the minister responsible, and was met with derision and arrogance by those in power.

Golubović added that he hopes for more substantive issues to be raised during the campaign, and that he misses more discussions on key issues such as the current energy crisis, food security challenges, a stable environment for young people, and a secure old age for the elderly. He believes that there needs to be an awareness among people that we are electing deputies and not the Prime Minister directly, and that it is therefore important who we elect to represent us in the National Assembly.

The final topic of discussion was young people, where both Joveva and Golubović support a process of generational renewal and agree that too many older people are now deciding the future of the young. They both feel that young people should have a stronger voice in shaping their future, and that intergenerational solidarity is key to all of this.

The discussion concluded with the speakers expressing their wish that as many people as possible will take part in the parliamentary elections on 24 April.

You can watch the full conversation HERE.

On Wednesday, 30 March 2022, MEP Irena Joveva participated in an online round table on youth and education, which was organised by Žiga Papež, an LMŠ party candidate for the National Assembly elections. They were joined by Lana Klemenčič from the Novo mesto Students’ Association. They approached the topic from different angles and attempted to find answers and solutions.

They started by talking about their personal experiences in school and realised that all three of them had fond memories of their school years. However, they are concerned about the high unemployment rate among young people, which can be attributed to various factors. “There are many causes for it, from precarious work to temporary employment and lack of work experience,” said Joveva. She believes that young people have been particularly hard hit during the pandemic, which is why the EU has reacted swiftly by increasing funding to alleviate the situation, by promoting additional youth employment, and by allocating funds to young people under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. However, all powers with respect to the efficient use of funds lie with individual Member States. “The first thing to do is to create a European Education Area. It will focus on teachers, digital education, the green aspect and, above all, access to education. The challenges of the pandemic have further deepened the psychosocial problems of young people from the perspective of equality. School must be accessible to all and it is unacceptable that in 2020 so many children do not have a computer or a phone at home,” the MEP said indignantly. With increasing digitalisation, she also feels that a sense of moderation and maintaining human contact are important.

They also commented on the growing importance of non-formal education. According to Joveva, formal and non-formal education are complementary, but curricula should be overhauled in all countries and at all levels of education. Schools provide a certain body of knowledge, but the acquisition of more practical skills and experience is left up to the individual. The lifelong learning programme is very important, as are the Erasmus study exchange programmes, which Joveva still regrets not having taken advantage of herself: “Although, in principle, Erasmus provides formal education, it also offers many non-formal skills. The more you know, the bigger your worth. Conditioning is an important contributing factor, but so is character – curiosity and inquisitiveness are excellent assets.”

The panellists agreed that there truly are a lot of programmes and funding for youth and education at EU level. However, young people need to be better informed, motivated and encouraged to participate and undertake projects. It is important to recognise that every experience comes in handy at some point in life, and it is essential for the educational process to also start encouraging curiosity, inquisitiveness, critical thinking, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

MEP Irena Joveva (Renew Europe/LMŠ) spoke to the Savinjske Novice newspaper about the legislative policies she is co-creating, which will also have a significant impact on the future development of the Upper Savinja Valley.

The pandemic has accelerated some of the EU’s political and legislative decisions, especially in the area of green and sustainable policies. In the Upper Savinja Valley, natural disasters have become rather common, and climate change is only making things worse.

Unfortunately, climate change is making things worse everywhere. A lot has been done during this term in this regard, even before the pandemic set in; the Green Deal was adopted in December 2019, but there is no doubt that certain decisions were accelerated by the pandemic. We are fighting the pandemic with a vaccine, but, unfortunately, there is no vaccine against climate change. It is therefore important to adopt legislation that is geared towards preventing natural disasters and, at the same time, has mechanisms in place to respond effectively when they happen. The starting points will be to lower insurance premiums and invest in solutions. The EU has already established aid mechanisms for natural disasters, and we have also initiated the creation of additional financial mechanisms for various prevention projects focused on reducing flood risks and fighting drought, fires and landslides.

We also hear a lot about making better use of wood, which is both a renewable energy source and an ecological material with a variety of uses.

Forests are an important part of our fight against climate change, which is why we want to establish a common way of managing them in the EU, but when it comes to how to protect them, there is a wide divergence of views in Member States. Still, the European Forest Strategy, finally endorsed last November, will support the socio-economic functions of forests for thriving rural areas and promote the bio-economy, while ensuring their protection and restoration. Wood was once the main material for construction, heating and furniture design, and now it is once more the raw material of the future. We need to think about how we wish to re-establish the wood-processing industry, which, in addition to economic growth, would bring many new jobs.

The EU devotes substantial resources to agriculture, promotes self-sufficiency and local production, and the European Parliament has recently debated the Farm to Fork Strategy …

That is true. The aim of this strategy is to accelerate the sustainable transformation of food systems, while ensuring a fair return for farmers, in such a way that crop production meets the objectives set out in both the Green Deal and the Biodiversity Strategy. It puts people first. The fact is that today – not least because of the pandemic – we are more aware of the importance of local production of good quality, organically produced healthy food. Farmers are, and always will be, the cornerstone of our food systems, and I am pleased that they are again being given the attention they deserve.

Before the pandemic, Slovenia was increasingly establishing itself as a tourist destination, and we are counting on tourists to start returning.

Absolutely. We all miss travelling, but we can actually find gems right on the doorstep. The unspoilt nature, the natural and cultural attractions, the cuisine … All of these attract tourists to Slovenia, including to your region. The Logarska Valley, the Matkov Kot and Robanov Kot valleys, the Golte Landscape Park …

But we must not forget about the infrastructure. Tourism and the economy will not flourish if it takes forever to get here.

Of course, infrastructure is the basis, both for tourism and industry and, just as importantly, for the accessibility and the environment. There are plenty of opportunities to draw on European funds, but one has to roll one’s sleeves up and have a vision. In fact, it is very straightforward: without the proper infrastructure, not only will businesses (and as a result jobs) move elsewhere, but also people themselves. Young people have to be offered something if they are to stay here. Rather than underestimating each and every one, the ruling politicians in particular should realise that young people want to live, not just to survive, and that they know how to stand up for themselves. All the more so in these days, and I am sure they will show this in the April elections.

Marjan Šarec: We place great emphasis on agriculture

As people of the Upper Savinja Valley, you can be proud of your oldest economic industry – agriculture. Agriculture has been put under the spotlight in the LMŠ party programme “Normalisation. Solutions. Development.” We are in favour of helping young people who take over farms or those who rent and rebuild dilapidated farms. We support State aid to ensure the future of farms whose heirs do not wish to continue farming, and we also embrace the idea of intergenerational cooperation, or ‘intergenerational cooperatives’.

The idea is to provide jobs for young people and to afford greater security to people who are left alone on the farm and persist there despite their old age.

Cooperation between the generations would make it possible to maintain and develop agriculture in the future. This is also linked to the sustainable development of tourism, based on natural, historical and cultural assets, with an emphasis on fine cuisine, wellness programmes and the promotion of healthy lifestyles. The State will have to help in these efforts by actively promoting the two activities in the main markets, by providing various incentives and measures for their development as well as by building better road links, so that you can continue to serve as a model for many other Slovenian regions, of which I am certain.

You can read the text also in the Savinjske Novice newspaper on this LINK.