“RULE OF LAW MECHANISM, MEDIA AND SITUATION IN SLOVENIA: RoLLER COASTERS INSTEAD OF ROLE MODELS”

On Thursday, April 15, 2021, MEP Irena Joveva hosted a round table on the topic “Rule of Law mechanism, media and situation in Slovenia: RoLLER COASTERS INSTEAD OF ROLE MODELS”.

The discussion was divided into two parts. In the first part, the interlocutors of MEP Irena Joveva were; the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourova, the Slovak MEP Michal Šimečka, and the Professor of European Law, Alberto Alemanno. They discussed the broader picture of Europe, sought answers to issues concerning the rule of law mechanism, and, on this basis, discussed violating countries and the alarming situation in the media. The debaters of the second part were; the president of LMŠ (List of Marjan Šarec) and former prime minister of Slovenia Marjan Šarec, deputy director of the International Press Institute (IPI) Scott Griffen, professor of journalism and media policies Marko Milosavljević, and lawyer and media law specialist Jasna Zakonjšek. Together with Irena Joveva they searched for and replayed scenarios of possible solutions regarding the current situation in Slovenia.

European Commissioner Vera Jourova expressed concern about the decline of fundamental European values. She sees the mechanism of the rule of law as a tool that will fulfil its task. She explained that the Commission was speeding up the preparation of guidelines for the application of the discussed mechanism, as they did not want the possible initiation of the mechanism to to fail to withstand the judgement of the European Court of Justice. The concept of the state governed by the rule of law is not limited to the functioning of the jurisdiction but covers broader aspects of a democratic society, such as the fight against corruption, the protection of human rights, and the freedom and pluralism of the media. “The report on the rule of law in Slovenia covers several positive aspects, such as a good anti-corruption system. However, the Commission expressed concern about the freedom of the media, some attacks on journalists, and especially the events related to the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA).” she summed up the situation in Slovenia, adding that they were monitoring the pressure on the media exercised by the capital, as well as by politics, and added the following: “All member states must recognize the role of the media as one of the pillars of democracy. Instead of making their work difficult, they should be provided with better working conditions.” She commented on the recent offensive tweets of the Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Janša, who had labelled her as a supporter of the red star as follows: “I am always pleased to respond to an invitation to discussions where opinions meet, and where I can explain the work of the Commission. Values will not defend themselves, and it is our job to do so. I am always prepared to talk and cooperate, with all cards on the table, even when I am invited by someone else.”

Among other things, MEP Irena Joveva pointed out it is important to mention that the rule of law mechanism is not intended against certain countries, but is applied to all based on objective criteria. However, it is also true that in some member states there are several breaches of the rule of law: “The question of the rule of law is neither a national policy nor an ideology.”

MEP Michal Šimečka emphasized that the situation in the field was getting worse: “Those who do not want the rule of law work much faster than we who are trying to stop them with our tools. The precautionary approach is simply not appropriate. If we allow undemocratic regimes to be established in one or more member states, it will be the beginning of the end for the EU. For the EU to work, we must have the same policies and the trust in the notion that all member states are democracies.” He added that it is difficult to protect the freedom of the media if the rule of law mechanism cannot be used: “It is very important whether a national media is independent, whether the government is discriminating against minorities or not, whether it tolerates hate speech or not. We can see that in Poland and Hungary going hand in hand. The President of the European Commission said that the Commission is looking for ways to protect the media; so I am waiting for that to happen, and, finally also for financial support for independent media at all levels. The best thing we can do for journalism is to buy a good local newspaper.”

Professor Alberto Alemanno was also harsh on the European Commission, saying he was overly cautious about losing the case before the European Court of Justice: “The Commission does not use all its powers to enforce the rule of law. I see the problem in the fact that the Commission does not have sufficient political support, but at the same time, it could rely on civil society and non-governmental organizations. Stakeholders in the economy, who could become much more political, could also play their part.”

“Rule of law is the basic postulate of the European Union, and Slovenia has never had any problems with that. Until the current government,” said the president of the LMŠ, Marjan Šarec. “I have been attacked since I joined the presidential company, and for journalists, such an attitude towards them is a shock. The purpose of this shock is to scare them away and get them to quit. Exhaustion of the Slovenian Press Agency is like the siege of a city that you exhaust and starve until it subsides. Journalists should not show fear. There is not that much extremism, but it is loud. We have to act self-protectively and get involved when there are elections.”

“It is hard to say that Slovenia is a copy of Hungary, but we see the same ways in which it tries to discredit journalists, also by politics. They are insulted as being traitors, enemies of national values, and the big problem is that people will start looking at them as targets,” said IPI spokesperson Scott Griffen. As public institutions are closely tied to public funding, it is easier for governments to undermine them; that is why it is important to fight for the existence of independent public media and agencies. Journalists are under constant attacks from leading political positions, which is affecting their work. Therefore, an atmosphere of a coalition of democratic institutions in a democratic society needs to be established, he stated.

Lawyer Jasna Zakonjšek explained that harsh criticism was allowed regarding the journalists’ work, however, the moment criticism shifts to the private sphere, this is no longer something that journalists should suffer. The current government is far from being the only government to which journalists are in the way. Because of the nature of their work, they are a thorn in the side of each government as they also address unpleasant issues. However, due to social media and direct access to the electoral base, the intensity of the attacks has increased significantly. She emphasized that democracy does not stand and fall only on free journalism, but also on the judicial system and the trust in it. Attention must be paid to all institutions of democracy.

In the discussion, Professor Marko Milosavljević paid a lot of attention to the current prime minister’s vulgar and harmful communication to the public, which is not surprising. However, he pointed out the tendencies of media subordination: “The first step is public television and the Slovenian Press Agency, followed by agreements with private media owners – either to intimidate them, to silence them or to reduce their level of criticism.” In his words, the entire Slovenian critical and democratic public should step up consistently and show its democratic position. “We live in the EU, we live in a democracy, and the days of autocrats are over. This requires determination and the absence of fear. The success of aggressive people is threatened when we are not afraid of them.”

/0 Comments/by

Our mutual dependency is increasing so we should solve global problems together

Today, 14 April, 2021, Irena Joveva MEP participated in a virtual conference on renewing relations and the future between Africa and Europe, organised by the Renew Europe political group. She discussed the creation of post-pandemic health synergies. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated the need for continued and high-quality cooperation between the European Union and Africa within the health sector. The discussion focused on the ongoing management of the pandemic, lessons learned, and future cooperation between the EU and Africa.

MEP Joveva stressed the importance of vaccination, which is the only way to contain a pandemic, but unfortunately, the slow supply of vaccines is a major obstacle and Africa is in a particularly bad position. This situation is increasing inequalities between countries and economies. Africa also has problems producing its own vaccines – there are still many challenges in trying to establish a sustainable vaccine industry in Africa. “Vaccine production is complex, requires large financial investments, and a long-term vision. The focus should be on issues such as innovative financing to ensure quality. According to the World Health Organisation, hundreds of thousands of people on the African continent have died from infectious diseases such as yellow fever, Ebola, cholera, tuberculosis, and malaria. There is, therefore, a clear need to strengthen African health systems and to build national and community health systems that are accessible, sustainable, resilient, and of high quality,” she added.

She also pointed out that the European Union was one of the largest donors of the Covid-19 vaccine and that majority of the vaccines and protective equipment for Africa comes from Europe. The MEP also expressed her concern about whether the Serum Institute of India would deliver the promised doses of vaccine to Africa, as India might prioritize the use of these doses for its own population. It is ‘vaccine nationalism’ or protectionism that presents a serious threat of overcoming the crisis.

“A few weeks ago, there was a lot of insinuation in the press that the European Union was also advocating such a position, which is not true. Unlike some other parts of the developed world, the EU is still one of the largest exporters of vaccines and is committed to the Covax scheme. The EU is also a strong advocate for open trade and global efforts,” said Joveva, listing some of her successful humanitarian projects. “Health is at the heart of the new EU-Africa strategy.”

She also spoke about challenges in other areas, such as combating climate change, preserving biodiversity, and the potential of green growth. Europe’s development objectives in Africa must be accompanied by engagement and dialogue, and a genuine partnership. Joveva believes that the EU could do much more in partnership with Africa. The exchange of good practices and information should be stepped up and African countries should be given the conditions to fully exploit their potential. “Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because it helps us all. We are increasingly dependent on each other, and we should tackle global problems together. Because once the health crisis is over, the more complex and longer-term crisis of global warming will have to be tackled,” she concluded.

The full second part of the event can be found here.

/0 Comments/by

Irena Joveva and Klemen Grošelj’s response to the allegations regarding the so-called non-paper on the Western Balkans

Statement by Renew Europe/LMŠ MEPs, Irena Joveva and Klemn Grošelj on the so-called non-paper on the Western Balkans.

“As part of its Presidency of the EU Council, Slovenia should first and foremost advocate for the further integration of Western Balkan countries into the EU, playing the role of a sincere mediator, rather than cheering for concrete, partial solutions that are detrimental to the region and Slovenia itself. This should also be done in accordance with European values, principles, treaties and agreements, and above all, without any Euroscepticism or – even worse – any desire to change the borders between the countries in the region. But Janez Janša’s destructive policy seems to be taking us in a completely different direction in foreign relations.

Unfortunately, we do not know what the current government is advocating in diplomatic circles towards the region, but it is true that there has been talk in these circles for some time about a change in Slovenia’s policy towards the Western Balkans. In any case, it should be clear to all that changing the borders between the countries in the region, or changing the territorial arrangement in BiH, would lead only to bloodshed. In the future, we want a BiH that is not based on the ideology of ethnic divisions, but on the European values of transcending ethnic divisions and sectarianism. Yet, let us reiterate that the desire to redraw borders along ethnic lines is unjustified and contrary to European values, which advocate strengthening regional cooperation by ensuring equal rights for all citizens of the Western Balkans, regardless of where they live. Therefore, any ideas in this regard are unacceptable, unjustified, and also harmful to Slovenia and its vital interests in the region, and in Europe. Peace and stability in the Western Balkans are of strategic importance for Slovenia, both in terms of security and economic development.“

/0 Comments/by

A conversation with students of the Novo mesto Grammar School: “You are the future of a better Europe.”

On Tuesday, 6th April 2021, as part of the European Parliament Ambassador Schools project, students from the Novo mesto Grammar School organized a Zoom talk with MEP Irena Joveva. The main focus was on how the EU is managing the current challenges.

At the beginning, MEP Joveva gave them an overview of her regular working hours in Brussels (before and during the pandemic) and technology used in remote work during the pandemic. The students were particularly interested in the MEP’s life so far, from her multicultural upbringing and first job to her career in journalism and her decision to become active in politics.

During the one-hour debate, the most topical issues of vaccines and vaccination, the lack of communication, and the phenomenon of infodemic could not be overlooked. Joveva said that the European Union’s vaccine strategy was good and quite ambitious, but it only looks good on paper. Unfortunately, its implementation in practice is far from optimal, starting with the lack of sincere communication — both from the profession and, in particular, from politicians — with citizens. The different information on vaccines: the number of vaccines supplied; changes in national vaccination strategies; age limits; side effects – which changed from day to day – caused discomfort and mistrust.

“For citizens to have confidence in vaccines and the vaccination process, there needs to be honest two-way communication, and unfortunately, there is not; not only in Slovenia but also at the European level. Since decision-makers were mostly unable to clearly explain what was happening, people started to believe all kinds of misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating on social networks. That is why we in the European Parliament are going the extra mile for transparent information about current events to restore confidence in vaccination because it is our only lifeline for a return to, so to speak, a normal life.”

The students then turned the discussion on the pandemic toward digitalization and asked the MEP to comment on the rapid shift towards distance education and the use of technology used at work. Joveva admitted that she had quite a few problems with different apps, even though she is a member of the younger generation.

“Technology is advancing so fast that it can be challenging to keep up. The sudden increase in the use of technology in work and education has highlighted the fact that in many countries, we still have inadequate digital conditions in the 21st century — from a lack of access to computers or the internet to a lack of digital competencies. Since the pandemic, the European Parliament has adopted several resolutions on tackling the inequalities identified and on the future development of European education systems in the context of Covid-19. Gaps in digital education need to be bridged, as we in the EU were already aware before the pandemic. The Commission has been working with the profession to reform education at the EU level. The result of this collaboration is the Digital Education Action Plan, which will have a very significant impact on the functioning of established education systems in the future, in line with the digitization of the EU,” explained Joveva. She then continued that the coronavirus epidemic has indeed led to a significant leap in transferring learning activities to online tools. “In the future, it will be crucial to continue to raise young people’s awareness about the safe use of the internet. We have addressed this in the Digital Services Act, which significantly improves mechanisms for removing illegal content, protecting users’ fundamental rights online, flagging misleading and false information, and making algorithms transparent.”

At the end, Joveva asked the students to be curious, to ask questions, and, above all, to be actively involved in politics even after the Ambassador School project is over. “After all, you are the future of a better Europe for us all!” Two students summarized their impressions of the roundtable: “The conversation with Irena Joveva was very informative and interesting. We covered a wide range of topics, from the workings of the European Parliament, technology and the current situation, to the problems caused by the epidemic. I was very impressed by her sincerity and attitude towards us students.” (Anteja Ratajec)

“A conversation with Irena Joveva opened the door to the European Parliament. She briefed us on the work of the EP as well as on her work. During the discussion, we touched on some topical issues such as the fight to contain the epidemic, the work of MEPs “from home”, the position of women versus men in politics, and media freedom. She also openly presented her views on these topics and encouraged us to be curious, interested, and critical.” (Ajda – Lea Jakše)

 

/0 Comments/by

Open discussion with students of Nova Gorica Grammar School: use your head and stay active

On Tuesday, 6th April, 2021, students of the Nova Gorica Grammar School, who participate in the EPAS programme, organized an online conversation “OPENLY with Irena Joveva”. The discussion was about the current situation in the EU relating to the pandemic, climate change, and other pressing issues.

In the opening remarks, everyone pointed out that the pandemic has changed priorities, while also highlighting some of the EU’s shortcomings. For more than a year now, the situation has brought severe economic and social hardships that will further stratify society. The effects of the pandemic on the labour market show striking inequalities between jobs. The students were interested in whether the stratification of both Slovenian and European societies will increase or whether this will be an opportunity for reform and solidarity. MEP Joveva expressed concern that the former would happen.

Certain sectors have been closed for too long. Certain micro and small enterprises are subject to revenue losses. In the long term, this means an erosion of jobs and entrepreneurial capital. A strong focus on tackling inequalities is needed, and in the EU many measures have been taken in the last year to mitigate the effects of Covid-19. The Recovery and Resilience Fund, for example, is truly historic and probably by far the most important in this context.

She made it clear that this is not just a sign of solidarity and unity between the Member States because this fund is changing the very fabric of the Union. “Those countries that make better use of these opportunities and resources by preparing good national plans will be in a much better position. The ‘fiscal stimulus’ as we have it now is the biggest and most important for the next decade, and is precisely designed to prevent greater social disparities from arising.”

At the students’ request, Joveva also provided some information on the environment. “Today, in many places — also thanks to Covid-19 — we are indeed breathing fresher and cleaner air, but unfortunately, at least in my opinion, this will not be maintained once the pandemic is over. History shows that a sudden drop in emissions has always had a short-term impact and has only increased back to the same level or even higher as the economy recovers.” However, she also expressed  hope that the “corona crisis” would provide a further boost towards a  green, sustainable economy. The Commission has made the environment a key priority since taking office and presented a Green Deal to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. “Also to continue achieving the goals of this agreement, we have clearly defined in the Recovery and Reconstruction Fund that 37% of the national plan must be dedicated to climate. This is a safeguard that countries will simply have to respect.”

The MEP concluded her talk with a call to young people to be honest, curious, and active: Ask questions! And, unlike too many Slovenian politicians, use cultural dialogue. Use your head and stay true to yourself.

/0 Comments/by

The story of digital green certificates. A true story.

So, a digital green certificate. The title itself seems rather unfortunate to me, but that is the least essential thing in the whole story at the end of the day.

Yesterday, the European Parliament voted on whether to consider the proposal for a regulation on these “COVID-19 certificates” under the urgency procedure. I voted against the majority, including the majority in my political group. Therefore, I voted against this proceeding. Let me explain my decision.

The first thing you need to know is that the European Commission proposed introducing these certificates. The second thing you need to know is that the speed of adoption of the regulation will ultimately depend either on the Council or on the Member States.

And in between is the European Parliament. It is the only institution of these three with representatives directly elected by European Union citizens. So, I am not an MEP to vote solely as the European Commission tells me, or as the political group I belong to tells me, or as the Prime Minister of the country I come from tells me. Every time I make a decision, it is based on all (!) the information and my conscience.

We have had long discussions, meetings, and exchanges of views on these certificates, both at individual committees and political group meetings. The majority — with the European Commission at the head, of course — insisted on the urgent need of the urgency procedure, saying that anything else would be a delay, and we are in such a hurry with these certificates.

OK, let’s say we are really in a hurry. What would be the real difference between an urgent procedure and an accelerated procedure? The advocates of this urgent procedure have stressed that this procedure, and this procedure alone, would allow everything to be adopted by the summer.

However, there is no time difference in the timelines of the two procedures. Even with the “accelerated procedure”, the regulation could be approved by the summer – just like with the urgent procedure. There is one other difference between the two procedures. A key difference – The “Accelerated procedure” is more thorough. It would facilitate a proper debate and involve members of the parliamentary committee(s).

So, with this option, we could improve the regulation and regulate it so that we are confident it will NOT discriminate and will NOT contradict people’s fundamental freedoms and rights. But what happened now? Now we can only rely on the European Commission (and the Council) to take all this into account… as, unfortunately, we took some of our own powers away with yesterday’s vote. Sadly.

Why did this happen? The problem arose from fears of infighting in the European Parliament over which committee should have the power to decide on the regulation. The Transport and Tourism Committee and the Environment and Public Health Committee are expected to challenge the competencies of the Civil Liberties and Justice Committee, which could indeed lead to a deadlock. In other words: because of possible internal squabbles, childish squabbles, the European Parliament is arbitrarily (!) deprived of the possibility of a comprehensive examination of the regulation on digital green certificates. A regulation which, by the way, is not only technical but also political. I don’t think it is the wisest move to have weakened parliamentary involvement in this story in these times of crisis.

The European Commission initially tried to bypass the European Parliament and adopt only “guidelines” on this regulation. In other words: they did not want a legislative proposal at first, but then they realized that this was not possible, so they started to vindicate the urgent procedure. And now we are where we are. Where the adoption of the necessary procedure will not change anything in practice regarding the timetable, it may change everything else.

We all already know that these certificates will, sooner or later, become a reality. I will not implement them, and you will not implement them, I know — but there is no point in sticking our heads in the sand. There is no point in misleading you and telling you how everything can still turn around. It won’t. The certificates will become a reality. And if we already know that they will be a reality, then we should at least design them in such a way that they do not infringe on anyone’s rights.

But there are still no answers to the million unanswered questions. There are many in the fields of ethics, law, technology, and — ultimately — healthcare. Most of these are about vaccination itself. How much vaccination can we expect by the summer? What will happen to those who will never be able to vaccinate because they can’t be due to various risks? Will they be tested again and again? Will it be free of cost every time? What will happen to those who just do not want to be vaccinated, which is also their right? How will counterfeit certificates be prevented? How will discrimination against people who, for example, are not skilled in using modern technology be prevented? What will happen to the validity of these certificates? Which doors will these certificates open? Travel? Restaurants? Concerts? What will happen to those people who have been vaccinated with vaccines that are not (yet) approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)?

Although I agree with the fast-track procedure between the two co-legislators, I just cannot get past the following point of view: Suppose there is anything urgent in this procedure. In this case, the regulation proposal should be scrutinized to ensure that it is considered in its entirety and ensure that all concerns are taken into account. The purpose of this system must not, in my view, go beyond facilitating travel. As a matter of fact, that must be their sole purpose.

Meanwhile, something else is being forgotten in all this. By far the most important. The importance of trust. The effectiveness of these certificates will depend on citizens’ trust in them. If citizens do not trust them, there will be less sense of responsibility and less sense of awareness, which are both crucial. No matter how we will travel, it will be an individual’s decision on how to act: wise or foolish, with or without the certificate.

Irena Joveva

Photo: EP/ENGEL

 

/0 Comments/by

“Hiding an ideological battle under the facade of alleged increased competitiveness is a dangerous move”

On Tuesday, 27. October 2020, members of Committee on Culture and Education exchanged views with Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and gave their thoughts on the situation on the Hungarian University of Theatre and Film Arts. 

Thousands of people have formed a chain in the streets of the Hungarian capital Budapest in protest at what they say is a takeover of a top arts university by the country’s government. Demonstrators fear a new board at the University of Theatre and Film Arts, led by an ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, will ruin its autonomy. It is the latest battle, and possibly last stand, against the Hungarian government’s attempt to seize power in independent institutions of all sorts, including cultural ones. Demonstrators demanded autonomy for the school and freedom for artistic endeavour and education.

The university is the seventh institution to be transferred to the control of private foundations where the board of directors are selected by the government. The government denies claims that it is limiting freedom of expression, and says the privatisation of this and other universities will make them more competitive.

MEP Joveva expressed her full support to the students and extended her congratulations on their strength, efforts, and fight for their university. “I hope you will manage to free the chains the government tries to put onto you.” Brilliant artists have emerged from this university and Joveva hopes they will continue to do so – in all freedoms that belong to them. The government has been systematically strangling media freedoms, democracy, and freedom of speech over years now, this just being the newest peak, she added.

CULT members also discussed with Attila Vidnyanszky. He was recently appointed to chair the board of directors and he made clear what the 155-year-old institution’s new direction would be: he wanted a “different kind of thinking” at the university, adding that existing classes would be kept with some ephasis placed on patriotism and Christianity. That is why MEP Joveva asked him: “What does this even mean? Is the meaning of your patriotism to suppress everything that does not comfort to your own ideas and values?” She continued that hiding an ideological battle under the facade of alleged increased competitiveness is a dangerous move we have seen before.

MEP Joveva also had a question for the Hungarian Minister of State for Economic Strategy and Regulation, Laszlo Gyorgy. Her questions and the speech in full length can be watched underneath:

If you are interested to know a little bit more on this matter you can read this article.

 

/0 Comments/by

Scandals around „Golden Visas” show the importance of investigative journalism

On Thursday, 22 October 2020, MEPs discussed the serious security threats posed by the sale of European Union passports and visas to third-country nationals. Offering citizenship in exchange for cash undermines the foundations of democracy and exposes our society to corruption. The problem of the so called system of “Golden visas” was firstly pointed out by investigative journalists. The media working group of the European Parliament, of which member is also MEP Irena Joveva, has therefore prepared a statement with which they want to draw attention to the importance of investigative journalism.

The Media Working Group in the European Parliament: Scandals around „Golden Visas” show the importance of investigative journalism

Today the European Parliament debated the serious security threats caused by the sale of EU passports and visas to citizens of third countries. In the past few years, a number of member states offered so-called “golden visas” where wealthy citizens could buy long-term visas, residence permits or even citizenship of EU Member States by taking part in certain investment schemes. These dubious schemes in various forms operated in such States as Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta and Portugal, to name a few.

After years of delay, the European Commission is now ready to step up and take action against these schemes in the case of Cyprus and Malta. Offering citizenship for cash is undermining the very basis of our democracy, and such practices in one Member States are affecting all 27 EU Members.

The truly international efforts to stop citizenship-for-cash regimes became possible because of the efforts of a large number of dedicated and courageous investigative journalists from a number of countries. We are truly grateful for their work. They revealed how people who were allowed to stay within the EU were causing a security threat. Many of the beneficiaries of these schemes have built up their wealth through money laundering and corruption or they are key members of oppressive dictatorships. It has been revealed how corrupt systems were built up to smoothen the applications of those who were “ready to pay extra”, including neglecting the necessary security checks.

The cross-party members of the Media Working Group are calling the attention of the European Commission to make sure it follows up on all the journalists’ revelations on this matter. Murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was among those who had worked on revealing the corruption behind the structure of golden visas. It is our duty to respect her memory and support the journalists who were able to reveal the facts about this threat to our democracy. Democracy needs protection and democracy needs independent investigative journalism.

On behalf of Media Working Group

David Casa, Co-chair of the Working Group
Ramona Strugariu, Co-chair of the Working group
Magdalena Adamowicz
Irena Joveva,
Alive Kuhnke
Dace Melbārde,
Viola von Cramon-Taubadel

Foto: European Parliament

/0 Comments/by

Show me your “feed”, and I will tell you who you are

On Friday, 16 October 2020, before the second plenary session of the European Parliament in October an online interview with journalists took place focusing on the reform of the Common European Agricultural Policy and the debate and vote on Parliament’s proposals on the content of the Digital Services Act and rules on artificial intelligence. 

MEP Irena Joveva pointed out that attention will be paid to the digital agenda. For a long time, there have been calls for the Union to become digitally sovereign, thus catching up with China and the United States. The Digital Services Act (DSA) will address many pressing issues the Union and society are facing in the increasingly digital environment. “At the plenary session, we will adopt the legislative initiative report (INL), which is not legislative per se, but will have significant political implications. From this document, the Commission will follow the proposals supported by the majority support of the European Parliament,” said Joveva. She continued they will adopt three separate reports: the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). Irena Joveva was shadow rapporteur on all three opinions within the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT).

She spoke about the plans of the Commission, which is expected to issue its legislative proposal in early December.

“It is expected that the essential emphasis will be ‘ex ante’ rules preventing large internet corporations from becoming so-called ‘gatekeepers’, arbitrarily preventing access to smaller competitors in the market. Essentially providing the necessary conditions for smaller companies to compete with technological giants.”

According to Joveva, graver importance carries the monopoly over human relationships and data: “There used to be a saying ‘tell me whom you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you are’; but today it’s ‘show me your “feed”, and I’ll tell you who you are.” The DSA will be a response to happenings related to the algorithms of user activities, which takes place mainly on social networks. Within the DSA we are trying to regulate the area of ​​transparency of these algorithms, such as labelling (political) advertising according to the origin and payment of online publication, labelling and removal of controversial or misleading information, moderation of content online. While keeping an appropriate level of freedom of speech, freedom of reporting and respecting the rights of individuals as well as their privacy. “The key is to identify the difference between illegal content, such as child pornography or terrorism, and harmful content. Platforms will be obliged to remove illegal content immediately, while clear rules of procedure will be set for harmful content.”

In conclusion, MEP Joveva said that many questions remain open, such as how to track down people who uploaded illegal or harmful content to online platforms. She adds that the Parliament and the Committees have taken a step in the right direction in regulating the daily changing digital environment.

/0 Comments/by

Joveva is one of the most active Slovenian MEPs

According to various indicators of the activities of MEPs, Irena Joveva is the most active Slovenian MEP in several fields of her work.

All activities of Members of the European Parliament are regularly updated on the “MepRanking.eu” web portal. On the portal, you can check MEPs work in the relation of the whole of Parliament, within the parliamentary groups, the Committees in which they are active, and comparing to all other MEPs from their country. A while ago, the VoteWatch organisation created an analysis of MEPs cooperation and networking, where MEP Irena Joveva was ranked in the 12th place.

The Member of Parliament is also very active in all other activities and obligations of parliamentary work. The online ranking tool for MEPs shows that she has asked the most written questions among Slovenian MEPs so far (27), explained her vote the most (as many as 244 times) and was five times the shadow rapporteur for the opinion. With twenty-three speeches, she is also one of the most active Slovenian MEPs in the parliamentary discussions.

You can follow the activities of MEPs at this LINK.

/0 Comments/by