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“What is needed is a change to the mindset. And this will happen with the next generations”

Today, 15 February 2022, MEP Irena Joveva attended the Think and Speak Up! event, which addressed the issue of low levels of active citizenship among young people, one of the biggest problems facing modern democracies. She spoke with secondary school students from Gimnazija Ravne na Koroškem, and the project was organised by the IPM Academy in cooperation with Slovenian secondary schools.

During the debate, Joveva listened to the ideas of young people, who took the role of decision-makers and presented their proposals for action in the field of youth policies, with the aim of implementing the EU Youth Strategy 2021-2027. The event was also attended by the Mayor of Ravne na Koroškem, Tomaž Rožen.

Students presented ideas and solutions in three strands: sustainable green Europe and rural development, quality jobs and quality learning, and gender equality and mental health.

In the first part, students addressed the challenges in the fields of energy, investment in public transport and the need for higher taxes on polluters. In the area of development steps for rural youth, they highlighted, among other things, the desire for better transport infrastructure, modernisation of schools and active state support for local farmers.

In response to their suggestions, the MEP described the measures proposed by the students as very realistic, noting that most of them are already being implemented. She introduced the students to the European Green Deal and the 2050 climate neutrality target, and explained the importance of the taxonomy or classification of green investments, pointing out that despite the inclusion of nuclear energy in the taxonomy, the future lies in truly green investments such as wind and solar energy. She spoke about a cross-border carbon mechanism which would ensure that also non-EU producers pay for pollution, and touched on the Recovery and Resilience Fund, the Common Agricultural Policy and the importance of digitisation.

In the second strand, young people focused on quality jobs and quality learning. They proposed setting up non-formal learning communities at the local level. In addition, they stressed the importance of creating more jobs for young people and the need for fair pay and payment for overtime.

The MEP commented that the areas of education and employment are most effectively regulated at local and national level, as they fall under the competence of the Member States. She supports the idea of the young that holiday work and work placements could also count towards years of service. A related topical issue, she pointed out, is an amendment to the EU Youth Strategy that would ban unpaid work placements, which is expected to be adopted this week in the EP Plenary. She also touched on the minimum wage and the problem of precarious work, stressing that the key solution in this respect lies with employers.

In the final strand, students focused on gender equality and mental health and well-being. Most of them agreed that the ubiquitous stigma and stereotypes associated with this topic are still a major problem.

“What is needed is a change to the mindset. And this will happen with the next generations.”

Concluding her remarks, the MEP assured the young audience that she understood that politicians often get on their nerves, but impressed upon them that this is not always justified, because not everyone is the same, and she therefore disapproved of generalisations. She thanked the participants for their suggestions and the solutions they offered and encouraged them to remain active and curious.

 

 

 

 

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“It is becoming more and more difficult for adults to understand young people and young people feel it.”

Today, MEP Irena Joveva (Renew Europe/LMŠ) hosted a virtual round table on “Mental Health – Issues and Challenges Facing Adolescents”.

In an interesting discussion on this pressing issue of contemporary society Joveva was joined by Maria Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, MEP and Co-Chair of the European Parliaments’ Coalition for Mental Health and Wellbeing and member of the European Parliament’s LGBTI Intergroup, Assist. Prof. Andreja Poljanec, psychologist and psychotherapist, Head of the Psychology Department at the Ljubljana Branch of Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Assoc. Prof. Andrej Naterer, professor of anthropology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor and co-author of the Mladina 2020 (Youth 2020) survey, Klemen Selaković, author of the Slovenian podcast Aidea, where he meets and communicates with many young people; Marjan Šarec, Deputy and President of the LMŠ party, and Aljaž Kovačič, LMŠ Deputy who also moderated the event.

Marjan Šarec began by stressing the importance of the mental health of young people, who were already subjected to many pressures even before the epidemic: “The LMŠ is certainly not oblivious to this. Rather, our party’s political programme sets out the goal to regulate the mental health sector in a systemic manner. This means that it should be governed by appropriate legislation and that a mental health service or office should be set up in the relevant ministry.”

Similarly, Irena Joveva focuses most of her work on young people, who, she says, are equal, fully-fledged and indispensable members of a developed and modern society and deserve to be treated as such. “There are more and more young people who regularly experience loneliness and stress. Experts point in particular to stress-related disorders such as anxiety and depression, but also to eating disorders, anxiety disorders and behavioural and emotional disorders. The pandemic and the measures taken as a result of it merely compound all of them,” she said, also mentioning the impact and pressure from parents and social networks. As a shadow rapporteur on behalf of Renew Europe, Joveva will contribute to the report on the impact of COVID-19 closures of educational, cultural, youth and sports activities on children and young people in the EU, and make sure it includes the need to provide timely help to young people in mental distress and to improve society’s awareness of mental health issues.

Soraya Rodríguez Ramos highlighted, among other things, the most extreme manifestation of mental health disorders that we have seen in recent months   ̶ suicide among young people. “It is heartbreaking that every year in Europe, 1,200 children and adolescents aged between 10 and 19 take their own lives, which is the equivalent of three young people every day. It is imperative that we attend to young people’s mental health from their earliest years and in the settings where they spend most of their time. Schools can serve as platforms that help to raise awareness of specific illnesses and fight the stigma and bullying that continues to surround them,” she said, outlining a range of actions that Renew Europe is working on to address young people’s mental health, including digital solutions and online counselling.

Andrej Naterer presented the results of the Youth 2020 survey, which revealed worrying trends: “Stress among young people has more than doubled, young people say they feel it most days. The proportion of young people who are lonely has tripled. COVID has contributed to loneliness, but not significantly, as loneliness was already increasing before COVID and will persist and increase once the pandemic is over. And there is also a growing presence of anxiety among young people.”

Andreja Poljanec mentioned the distorted expectations and experience of maturity, as 18-year-olds tend not to be as mentally mature as their physical appearance might suggest: “As adults, we too often neglect the needs of young people because we experience them as too insignificant to deal with, when in fact the neurological stress response in young people is greater because of this overall immaturity.” It is important that adults listen to young people and gain their trust. “The fact that there is so much depression means that young people are losing hope for the future,” she added. She and Aljaž Kovačič mentioned the modern trend of parents’ high expectations, which later manifest themselves as anxieties in children.

Klemen Selakovič spoke about the fact that in today’s world, change is greater and faster. “It is becoming more and more difficult for adults to understand young people and young people feel it. I would agree – the world expects a lot from us, but in reality, we expect a lot from ourselves, and I feel the same myself. I constantly get cues as to what I should be and what I should have.” He sees the solution in changing the social values that influence young people. “We need to move away from performance metrics and ask ourselves if these are really the goals we should pursue in life,” he summed up.

Andreja Poljanec also touched on the aspect of environment and peers, as being close to family and friends goes a long way towards adolescents not developing mental disorders. She would like to see changes in the curricula at all levels of education and that those who work professionally with young people would be equipped with the modern knowledge and skills needed for working with young people. Andrej Naterer also mentioned research showing that our sensitivity to stress has increased, while at the same time societal pressures are mounting.  Activities that worked against stress in the past now add to it: “They, too, have a competitive element nowadays. If you do sport, there’s always someone better, if you do yoga, there’s always someone doing more asanas.” The findings show that good family relationships are the first line of defence, followed by good relationships within the extended family, in the neighbourhood and with friends. It is the spread of egoistic behaviours that we have been witnessing in recent years that is tearing us apart and increasing stress. The solution lies in improving relationships and in consciously withdrawing from stress-inducing impulses, including constant online presence. Klemen Selaković confirmed that depression is a disease of difficult personal relationships, but also stressed the importance of one’s own engagement: “One has to ask oneself if it really is the parents, mother, capitalism who are to blame for everything? If you believe that, then you are not taking responsibility for your own life.”

 

Photo: Matej Špehar

 

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IG Live with President of the LMŠ Party: “When it comes to corruption, we are uncompromising”

Foto: Neboje Tejić/STA

On Wednesday, 2 February 2022, MEP Irena Joveva hosted the President of the LMŠ party, Marjan Šarec, in a “live” conversation on her Instagram profile @ijoveva. In a relaxed atmosphere, they gave their unfiltered and uncensored replies to the questions posed by followers.

They started by answering a question about the things they miss most from their life before politics.  “There are many things… I was more relaxed, I could do things more freely, and I miss all the people I worked with before I entered politics,” said Marjan Šarec, and Irena Joveva could only agree with him about the people she misses. She added that from a professional point of view, she also misses fieldwork as a journalist, when she could research, do interviews and write contributions. They recalled Irena’s entry into politics and Šarec was frank: “It’s no secret, I was the instigator. I called her and asked whether she would be the lead candidate for the European elections. When she answered, I knew that this was it, that this was the right decision. I will certainly never regret it.” They also noted that the experience of the past often comes in handy. For Joveva, her knowledge of broader political topics and the necessary rhetoric skills: “In the European Parliament, we have about one minute to speak or debate. I have experience of live reporting that was of the same length, so I find it much easier than my colleagues to summarise what I mean in that one minute.’

Since they have been in politics, the main source of satisfaction for both of them has been people’s response to their work. Joveva is keeping her campaign promise that she is there for the people who sent her to Brussels: “When you know that you have helped someone, answered their question or helped in a more concrete way, submitted a question for the Commission, asked a fellow politician a question, raised a topic in a meeting, submitted an amendment and thus actually changed the legislation.” Šarec added: “Irena and I both come from a working-class or farming background, our lives have not always been a walk in the park and we know that effort has to be put in to achieve results. Nothing has been given to us for free. This is also how we approach our work in politics. I don’t like snobbery and pretentiousness, I have always been happiest when I have been able to have direct contact with people.” Politics, he says, reveals who you really are.

The next part of the conversation was devoted to answering the questions submitted by followers. Instagram is a “social network for the young”, but the audience was nevertheless interested in substantive and very specific areas. The first question was about the current and possible new electoral system, which has always been one of the most important issues for the LMŠ party. A bill was previously drafted during the government led by Šarec which introduced a majority system, preferential voting and the abolition of electoral districts, but unfortunately, due to the purely personal interests of some deputies, it was not adopted. “As long as the electoral system isn’t changed and it continues to be complicated, distant from the people and prevents them from playing a decisive role in the selection of deputies, there will be no political change in Slovenia. The electoral system we are advocating could also address the issue of recalling a deputy, which is currently impossible,” Šarec explained.

Housing, especially for young people, is another issue that can no longer be swept under the carpet. Marjan Šarec described the LMŠ efforts in this direction so far:

“Under our government, we prepared a housing loan guarantee act. We also wanted to transfer to the bad bank the land on which the bank Asset Management Company would build apartments. Our party programme also contains a proposal about the creation of housing cooperatives based on foreign models, as this has proven a good solution. It contains the regulation of short-term rentals, the possibility of buying the first owner-occupied home with repayment through rent, and the strengthening of the public housing stock. But we also need to enable young people to enter the labour market as quickly as possible, as this is the only way to get a loan.”

Šarec and Joveva also touched upon the “Magyarisation of Slovenia”. They both see a solution in taking part in the elections of 24 April 2022. It is important to remember that there are no perfect candidates. “Somebody has to be given a vote and then be held accountable,” said Šarec.  He believes that the current Prime Minister has become a servant of Budapest and Slovenia a vassal state. During this term, the LMŠ has set up two inquiry commissions to investigate illegal appointments within the police and suspicious procurement of protective equipment, respectively. If necessary, it will set up a new one in the next term to investigate hotel sales:

“All these transactions will need to be audited and all harmful laws repealed. As LMŠ, we are uncompromising when it comes to corruption and investigation. We will certainly demand audits, and we can do this as we owe nobody any favours.”

Joveva and Šarec are also aware of the problems in public health care. According to Marjan Šarec, pay increases in only one salary group will cause major problems and chaos. He believes that the remuneration system needs to be regulated anew in a systemic and complete manner: “The first task the next government will need to tackle will be to negotiate with trade unions, as was the case in 2018.” The shortage of family doctors is a problem that can only be solved in the long term. In addition to corruption, Šarec also sees a problem in the organisation of work and “amphibian practice” which allows some doctors not to contribute as much as they could to the public system, and instead work in their private self-pay outpatient clinics in the afternoon. In addition, supplementary health insurance should be abolished, as it has long since become compulsory if one wishes to benefit from the full basket of healthcare services.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 epidemic has not only exposed problems in the health care sector, but also the confusion thrown up by the measures dictated by the government. Šarec and Joveva agreed that, during the pandemic, the authorities’ communication with citizens was the primary problem. Šarec advocates softer measures in dealing with the epidemic, such as distancing, masks, hand and cough hygiene, self-testing of everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, and strict adherence to quarantine.  However, he does not support compulsory vaccination. He added that, as a result, the LMŠ would not be able to work with parties that oppose all COVID measures, even if some people should find this a good idea.

Šarec and Joveva also touched on the need for a transition to a knowledge-based society, for development and digitalisation of society. “In the LMŠ programme, we have devoted many measures to digitalisation and even foreseen a new Ministry of Science, Research and Digital Transformation.” They commended some systems already in place and highlighted the numerous areas where there is an urgent need for the system to be revamped and upgraded, especially as regards services to citizens. “We still have children who do not have access to the internet, and as long as this is the case, it is difficult to talk about a digital society,” Šarec maintained, adding that the LMŠ programme foresees an increase in funding for science, research and development, with the aim of allocating to these areas up to 1.5% of GDP by 2026.

Finally, Šarec and Joveva urged people to read the LMŠ programme, which is available on the party’s website. As questions continued to come in, they decided to hold another conversation in the near future. In the meantime, you are welcome to watch the recording on  Irena Joveva’s Instagram profile.

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I went into politics because I want to be part of the change that is needed

On Thursday, 27 January 2022, MEP Irena Joveva was invited to take part in an online dialogue with young people held under the rEUral Europe project. They discussed the work of the European Parliament, equality of women in politics, youth engagement and other topical issues.

The young participants raised many interesting questions, with the usual icebreaker being the one about the reasons for her entering the world of politics. Joveva explained that she had followed politics with her father from early age. As a journalist, she experienced, saw and heard many things which made her feel angry and disappointed. When she was invited to go into politics, she couldn’t refuse, as it meant an opportunity to try to do things the way she thinks is right. Her primary focus is on young people and on the situation in the media and journalism, where pressure has been growing over recent months: “What is happening is alarming. Regrettably, the institutions do not have enough appropriate tools to react, and the usual answer is that this matter falls under the responsibility of Member States, which indeed is largely the case.” This is why she believes that the European Media Freedom Act will be crucial, as it is the first piece of legislation in this area.

In her work in the European Parliament, Joveva does not feel gender inequality or unequal treatment based on sex, but the two are more pronounced on social media: “You are judged on the basis of gender, origin, previous occupation, youth. There is quite a number of comments that I think would not have been made if I were a man, ”  she said, adding: “This is widespread, especially on Twitter, which is a cesspit of anything you can imagine. There is also a lot of patronising.” She even receives threats on social media, mainly anonymous, and she feels that the negative trend has grown worse in recent months. She attributes this to the change in the general social climate, because some politicians who are in power afford to make comments that should have no place in public discourse and, as a result, people are emboldened to say or do more. Joveva believes that the under-representation of women in politics is mainly due to stereotypes and social conditioning: “The profession of a politician is among those that are perceived as pertaining to men, which is why far fewer women decide to enter politics. In addition, the conditions are not particularly conducive to family life, especially if you have or intend to have small children. It is not sufficiently understood that genders are interconnected and not disconnected.” Joveva supports gender quotas, because without them the number of women in politics would be even lower, but believes that the solution for the future lies in neutral quotas and education.

The MEP also spoke about the negative aspects of Brussels: “What bothers me the most is that many of my colleagues have lost touch with reality.” The Parliament is a huge system and a kind of bubble, where it is difficult to keep in touch with reality, but for herself, she is very mindful of “keeping both feet firmly on the ground”, as she put it. She finds the two seats of the European Parliament, one in Brussels and one in Strasbourg, utterly absurd, but regrettably has no influence on the matter. Still, she is happy to be able to do a lot in other fields: “With amendments, reports, lobbying and forging friendships one can achieve and get a lot. This journey is not in vain. Some of my expectations have crumbled, but others have been consolidated.”

Joveva’s priorities for the second part of the term include two key objectives. She sees the European Year of Youth as an opportunity to raise awareness about young people’s problems and to develop projects linked to Slovenia: “I intend to set up a website where young people can submit their ideas and, on this basis, I will decide what can best be done — perhaps to put a question to the Commission, send a letter to the relevant authorities, draft a report, or submit an amendment to a legislative proposal.” She also wants to be actively involved in the drafting of the European Media Freedom Act. At the same time, she is linked to a smaller group of MEPs who are seeking to ensure that the European Parliament retains the possibility of teleworking in certain segments, which is particularly important for women Members who are or are about to become new mothers, as the office of an MEP does not provide for maternity leave: “We want to make it easier for women to decide to have children, because working conditions for them will be friendlier, if we maintain the current teleworking method.”

Joveva also believes that young people are not taken seriously enough when they participate in public debate. “We all talk about the future of Europe and refer to the next generation, we are even holding a conference where young people are supposed to have a leading role, and then the Committee consists of people who are not even my age, but much older. And when conferences on youth are organised in Slovenia, the speakers are in their 70s,” she added, alluding again to the patronising attitude which abounds in politics. According to her, young people would not perceive politics as something negative if most politicians were to set a good example. But if the people in power think that they can do whatever they please, this influences the young who then think that all politicians are the same.

“What should be done? A lot can be done, but some politicians will never change, so it is up to people to remove them from office. And this is done in elections.”

Joveva also answered a question about the absurd situation of the balance of power between the European Parliament and the Council: “This is indeed a tremendous problem, but, regrettably, it is almost never spoken about and nothing is done. The Council and the Parliament are co-legislators. We pass laws by a majority. In the Council, however, decisions are normally taken by consensus, and this is the main problem because all Member States need to be in favour.” She highlighted some legislative solutions, such as the Pact on Migration, which are victims of the partial political interests of individual Member States, which have for a long time not acted in line with European values. “I think that at least two Member States should no longer be members of the EU at all, but the European Parliament is not able to change this singlehandedly,” she concluded.

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“We expect the new President to muster the will credibly and firmly to represent the positions of the European Parliament”

Joint reaction by MEPs Irena Joveva and Klemen Grošelj to the election of the new President of the European Parliament:

“The election of the new President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, is a result of the political agreement reached by the three largest pro-European political groups on cooperation for the remainder of the current parliamentary term.

We absolutely welcome the fact that, after many years, a woman is again taking the helm of the Parliament, which will, among other things, certainly give additional impetus to the promotion of a higher level of equality in the EU. But in this light, we also underline our unambiguous expectation that the new President will muster the personal and political will credibly and firmly to represent the positions of the European Parliament, in particular on issues where her personal or ideological views diverge. We particularly draw attention to the area of women’s rights, specifically the right to make decisions about their own bodies or the right to abortion. The European Parliament has already adopted a very clear position on this subject, toward which the new President has a negative stance, of which we decidedly do not approve.

There is also the issue of the rule of law, which remains important not only in the context of the protection of fundamental values of the EU and citizens’ rights, but is also turning into the key issue for the further development of the EU. We highlight this primarily due to the fact that the political group of the new President, the European People’s Party, has repeatedly defended political positions which to us are completely unacceptable. We therefore expect President Metsola to continue on the path trodden by the late President David Sassoli.

In view of her public appearances so far, we furthermore hope that President Metsola will accelerate the organisational changes to the functioning of the Parliament that are already underway, in particular towards more substantive debates in plenary meetings. Defending and strengthening the position of the European Parliament, in particular vis-à-vis the Council of the EU as co-legislator, and vis-à-vis the European Commission, in particular as regards the Parliament’s oversight function, will also be an important part of her tasks.”

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Nobody wants another member state whose authorities undermine the EU legal order

Joint reaction by MEPs Irena Joveva and Klemen Grošelj to the vote (and) on the resolution on the rule of law in Slovenia:

“The fact that the resolution on the issue of the rule of law and fundamental rights in Slovenia has today been endorsed by a majority in the European Parliament regrettably puts us again in the company of countries such as Hungary and Poland, where the state authorities have turned the democratic order of the country into the authoritarian rule (of the interest groups) of a single party. The resolution adopted today highlights cases of systematic violations of the rule of law based on credible sources, such as the European Commission’s annual reports on the rule of law and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

The text only includes a few of the key problems encountered under the current authorities. These have escalated and we have been drawing attention to them for quite some time. In addition to clear requirements concerning respect for media freedom, in particular the independence of the national broadcaster RTV Slovenia and the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), and the obligations of the state, which must respect its own legislation, key messages include the exceeding of the powers of the executive, systematic erosion of judicial and prosecutorial independence, politicisation of the police and attacks on all remaining independent regulatory institutions.

The current Government in Slovenia has done a good job of destroying the reputation of our country, which until recently served as an example of exemplary democracy in Europe (among the so-called new Member States). The aim of such a policy is autocracy, which is set against a backdrop of kleptocracy. It should not be forgotten that this also weakens Slovenia’s position within the EU where important reform processes are set to begin with the start of the French Presidency and the new German Government.

It is telling that the European Parliament is forced to require the Slovenian Government to respect the basic principles of a democratic society, such as the separation of powers and the implementation of Constitutional Court decisions. There is an acute awareness in the European Parliament of the systematic violation of the rule of law and democratic norms in Slovenia, and nobody wants another member state whose authorities undermine the EU legal order.”

In her video statement, Joveva made an additional comment:

“Nobody else is to blame for this resolution but the current Government, headed by its Prime Minister. The text contains only some of the most obvious examples of their actions, their attempts to systematically dismantle all social systems or bend them to their purposes, their non-compliance with their own legislation, their attacks, and their deliberate polarisation. False narratives about communist conspiracies under the guise of defending traditional values are no longer credible. The aim of such politics is not to defend these values. Such politics has no values at all. None. The aim of such politics is purely and simply autocracy, set against a backdrop of kleptocracy. And… it is telling that the European Parliament is forced to, by means of a resolution, require the Slovenian Government to respect the basic principles of a democratic society. But quite simply, nobody wants another member state whose authorities undermine the legal order of the European Union.”

 

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Up YU Go! Odjuga.

Up YU Go! Odjuga.

Everyone who knows me also knows I love wordplay. So as soon as I saw its title in both English and Slovene, I knew that this exhibition would be something world-class.

When the (unfortunately) now former director of the National Museum of Contemporary History, Kaja Širok, asked me whether I wished to participate in this project, I didn’t need to think twice about my answer. I was honoured that she had thought of me, too. Yes, I’m honoured because my family, which was originally from the south of Yugoslavia, can also be said to have mustered the courage to ‘up and go’ and come to Slovenia.

The central theme of the exhibition is the stories of people who moved here from the republics of the former Yugoslavia after the Second World War, and their descendants. In its core, the exhibition humanises the processes of belonging, self-discovery, remembering, exclusion, stigmatisation, and othering.

“Labels? Labels are only good for rakija.” This is how the message of the exhibition was beautifully summed up by its co-creator Dragica Dobrila.

“Identities? They say that identities are like underpants. You’ve got several, or you don’t; in other words: your thing, your intimate business.” That is how the musician Magnifico explains it. Because his is also one of the ‘Up-YU-Go’ stories.

In addition to thousands of others, to be clear. The stories of Identities on the Line are actually conceived on the basis of the stories of 40 people who have experienced just that. Even based on my story, my parents’ story. On my identity, my identities.

“Let’s hold up a mirror to all those who look down on us and – unjustifiably – place us somewhere near the bottom of the social ladder. Let’s hold up this mirror to them in such a way that we can show them the best version of ourselves.”

This was my message to all of us who are characterised by multiple identities. And this record is a really minute part of this temporary exhibition. Therefore… Go see it! It will be on display in the premises of the National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia until May 2022.

Photo: National Museum of Contemporary History

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What does a green and digital future bring for young people?

On Monday, 6 December 2021, MEP Irena Joveva participated in an online debate “What does a green and digital future bring for young people?” organised by the Zavod PIP institute and the Europe Direct Podravje information point. During the debate, the speakers focused on the climate change situation in Slovenia, the impact of the pandemic on the environment, the exit from the COVID-19 crisis supported by the digital and green transitions, the actions outlined in the recovery plans launched at the EU and national levels and, last but not least, on what all this means for the future of young Europeans.

The transition to a climate-neutral society is both a challenge and an opportunity to create a better future for all. In her introduction, Irena Joveva explained that the European Union has adopted ambitious legislation to implement its climate change commitments — the European Green Deal, a flagship strategy that provides a roadmap and a timeline for the Union to deliver on its climate ambitions. “It is a strategy to increase resource efficiency by moving to a clean, circular economy, restoring biodiversity and reducing pollution.” The MEP explained to the young audience that the EU intends to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and that it is committed to becoming the first carbon-neutral continent by 2050. “The European Green Deal will also be a lifeline for the post-COVID-19 recovery. Together with the Recovery and Resilience Fund, the measures support a sound economic recovery and development in a green and digital direction.” Still, these are only frameworks and recommendations, said the MEP, adding that everything depends on how strategically Member States manage to put to use the financial assistance and loans and contribute to these transitions. In her view, the green and digital transitions are taking place in parallel and both will have major implications for the future of work and for our systems. “But the two transitions are also fundamentally different, since in the Member States in particular or in the governments’ spending plans a varying sense of urgency can be observed related to their pursuit and implementation. Digitalisation is part of the environmental solution and not part of the problem. Digitalisation can be used to increase energy efficiency, optimise energy management and combine centralised and decentralised approaches.” At the same time, the MEP expressed concern, shared by experts, that smart batteries and waste from renewable energy power plants also need to be deposited somewhere.

The young participants were particularly interested in what the planned Digital Decade will bring for the future of Europe and the young.  Joveva explained that Europe’s Digital Decade is a vision and path for the continent’s digital transformation by 2030. “The Digital Compass for the EU’s Digital Decade is based on four cardinal points: skills, safe and sustainable digital infrastructure, digital transformation of businesses and digitalisation of public services, notably e-health and the digital identity of all Union citizens.” One of the principles proposed in the European Commission’s Communication on the 2030 Digital Compass is the protection and empowerment of children and young people in the online space. Children and young people should be equipped with digital literacy and the necessary skills and competences to navigate safely and responsibly online from a very young age and throughout education and training. “Every child must be protected from harmful and illegal content. We have already paid considerable attention to these issues in Parliament when drafting the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DSA), where I also participated as shadow rapporteur.”

In the follow-up to the debate, Joveva also outlined the opportunities the European Union offers to young people. The most familiar is the Erasmus+ study exchange programme, but there are other options as well. “Within the framework of formal education there are furthermore transnational cooperation programmes such as the CEEPUS regional programme, and in addition there are non-formal education options, ranging from volunteering (European Voluntary Service and European Solidarity Corps) to job search opportunities (EURES network, placements within Erasmus+, traineeships in the EU institutions, ALMA) and various European projects and competitions.”

In addition to Joveva, Nives Felić, youth worker from the Zavod Nefiks institute, and Gaja Brecelj, director of Umanotera and Slovenian #EUClimatePact Ambassador took part in the hybrid debate.

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Illiberal far-right populism is currently the biggest threat in the EU and in the Western Balkans

On Sunday, 5 December 2021, MEP Irena Joveva spoke at the Regional Liberal Conference organised in Skopje by the Macedonian Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the ALDE Party under the title “A Renewed Narrative for Accelerated EU Integration”. Joveva has been critical of both the European Union and certain Member States, emphasising in particular the importance of partnership and cooperation. She also spoke about the threat of illiberal far-right populism.

As a preliminary remark, MEP Joveva noted that relations between the European Union and the Western Balkans had unfortunately not changed much during the two-and-a-half years of the European Parliament’s current term. This is partly due to the pandemic, which has overshadowed other topics, but also at the Brdo Summit, which was supposedly aimed precisely at promoting enlargement, Member States proved very reluctant to use the very word “enlargement”. She recalled a number of obstacles to enlargement, such as the Greek and later Bulgarian veto as well as the French “non” to North Macedonia: “I wish to underline that in accordance with the Treaties, bilateral disputes should not be used to prevent a candidate country from entering into negotiations. This is therefore a clear case of an EU Member State not respecting this principle and plainly exploiting North Macedonia’s position for its own political expediency. Once again, the EU’s unanimity rule is showing its weakness — that one Member State, out of 27, can stop the progress of one nation.” She pointed out that this had led the European Parliament to openly and vociferously criticise first the Commission and then the Council, as promises have to be kept and good work rewarded.

“The Western Balkan countries, our immediate European neighbours, should compete with each other in the sense of which will carry out the most reforms and improve the lives of their citizens, and they should offer each other support and expertise in order to facilitate this common process. The European Union should help us support and encourage each other,” she said, while noting that unfortunately many Western Balkan countries are bogged down in reforms, nationalism and ethno-nationalist narratives of the 1990s, which prevents them from making progress. The Western Balkan countries should perceive EU enlargement as an objective that will allow all their citizens, irrespective of where they live and of their ethnic or religious background, to feel appreciated, safe, heard and respected.

The MEP also condemned the actions of the European Union, which is losing credibility in the Western Balkans due to numerous unfulfilled promises. In her view, the integration of these countries into the EU is a geopolitical necessity that will ensure peace and sustainable development in the area. Only by standing shoulder to shoulder can the EU and the Western Balkans address many issues of great importance for the future.

“I don‘t wish to sound pessimistic, but I don’t see many radical changes in the near future. Of course, the Commission’s new enlargement package was promising, but the assumption that all six Western Balkan countries could soon join the EU is not very realistic, especially as there has been an authoritarian turnaround in some EU countries, which at the moment would certainly not be in favour of the enlargement package. The EU must therefore also be more stringent vis-à-vis its Member States. We see the deterioration in the areas of media freedom, the rule of law and civil liberties in some Member States, which is why profound changes are very much needed in the EU. Unfortunately, this can be observed in Hungary, Poland and, more recently, in my own country, Slovenia. This shows how illiberal far-right populism can weaken the rule of law, dismantle the independence of the judiciary, public media, regulatory agencies and independent institutions, and it can do this in a very short time. This is currently the biggest threat, both in the Western Balkans and in the EU Member States.”

Joveva stressed that this ideology is closely linked to ethno-nationalist tendencies and is as such not only an obstacle to accession and a threat to peace, but also undermines the very structure of the European Union. “However, we need to be clear about what is happening: artificially created ideological conflicts are only a guise for authoritarian rule, which in turn is a guise for kleptocracy. And everyone, including those who pretend to be liberal and a part of our family but support such illiberal leaders, is part of the problem, not of a solution,” she said sharply before concluding her address with the following thought: “We must work together to fight illiberalism across Europe and strengthen our common values. It should not be forgotten that we are partners in this and that the process is difficult and long, but ultimately leads to a victory. It must lead to a victory for the European Union, for the Western Balkans, and above all for the citizens of all the Western Balkan countries, who deserve a better and safer life.”

In the video, you can listen to a slightly shortened version of the address:

 

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It is clear to everyone in Europe what is happening in Slovenia and how dangerous this is

Today, on 26 November 2021, MEP Irena Joveva was a guest of Radio Kum. As she approaches the halfway point of her term of office, she reflected on her past work and the challenges ahead. She commented on the social and political changes caused by the pandemic, and the European policies to manage the post-pandemic situation and the recovery, as well as on political developments in Slovenia.

Not long after the start of her term of office, the world was hit by the pandemic. MEP Joveva does not doubt the important the role of the European Union in tackling the crisis: “Although Brussels often seems irrelevant, it is everything but. It is precisely common action in all areas that has made and will continue to make it much easier for Member States to deal with the pandemic than we could have done individually.” It is regrettable, however, that the pandemic has also accelerated the spread of various highly dangerous ideologies, such as fascism, different forms of intolerance and the erosion of democracy, which even Slovenia is not immune to.

Over the past two and a half years, Joveva, a member of four committees, has been actively working on a number of areas. The Special Committee on Cancer drafted a motion for a European Parliament resolution on strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer. “An important objective of the first half of the term was the creation and adoption of NextGeneration EU, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which is now integrated into the EU’s long-term budget. These funds will enable Member States to achieve a breakthrough and develop in the post-pandemic period,” she said, welcoming the fact that much more funding is directed to initiatives for the young. In the Committee on Culture, the work over the recent period has focused on the media, freedom of the press and government interference in Poland, Hungary and, unfortunately, also in Slovenia. A number of legislative solutions are in the pipeline — ranging from the European Media Freedom Act to the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act and perhaps soon the so-called anti-SLAPP legislation will follow aimed at preventing abuse of the legal system to silence journalists, NGOs and civil society.

The MEP finds the situation in Slovenia worrying: “Over the last year, the Slovenian Press Agency was a hostage of the Janez Janša Government. They wanted to bring the agency to its knees, gain the power to enforce their own editorial policies. They try to achieve the same with the personnel changes at the national television broadcaster.” Nor did the Twitter outbursts of the current government team go unnoticed in Europe, all of which led to a point where the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee sent a delegation to Slovenia to examine the state of democracy.

“The report makes it clear that they are deeply concerned about the climate of hostility and deep polarisation in the country — which is precisely what Janez Janša is trying to achieve. And we have even come to the point where the European Parliament will be deliberating the first ever resolution on the situation in the area of fundamental rights and the rule of law in Slovenia, presumably in December. And no, this is not an attempt ‘to export’ domestic politics, rather it proves that it is clear to everyone what is happening and how dangerous it is.”

Joveva has also been critical of the European level, which, in her view, has been too slow to act and whose mechanisms are too rigid. Even in the case of the most serious violations of European fundamental values, the European Union does not apply its sanctioning mechanism – making the disbursement of European funds conditional on compliance with the rule of law.

The MEP also spoke about motherhood: “I have been very keen to become a mother, but it was not so easy and self-evident. This was my third pregnancy and my fourth child, the first one to be carried full term. This is why, when she was born, my happiness was all the greater. It is true, however, that this is a daunting task. Nothing can prepare you for this — all this love and unconditional dedication, or how hard it can be.” Even though her daughter is only a few months old, the MEP works full time, as no maternity leave is foreseen for MEPs. At present, she is able to work from home due to the pandemic, but she was critical of the reckless and sudden decisions by the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, who last month hastily abolished teleworking, only to allow it again later because of pressure from young MEPs. Still, Joveva intends to attend the December Plenary Session in Strasbourg with her daughter for the first time.

Finally, she called upon listeners to show confidence in science, progress and development. “Let us be friendly, understanding, tolerant and above all — responsible. And yes. Let us turn out and vote in elections. This is not only our right; it is our shared responsibility. So that in the end it is not others who decide in your stead,” she concluded.

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