Definitely an experience worth having

When I received the news in the summer that I had been accepted for a traineeship in the office of MEP Irena Joveva, I was of course thrilled and eager for the opportunity. But as the weeks turned into days before I was due to leave, I felt a sense of uncertainty creeping in. With hindsight, it is quite funny when I think how needlessly scared I was. For my experience in Brussels was wonderful, as I will try to describe as fully and honestly as I can in the following lines.

The work of a trainee in the European Parliament is dynamic. I’ve attended various meetings and sessions and taken notes, helped organise events, recorded PR material for social media, written substantive texts and even assisted in the preparation of speeches. Irena’s team got me involved and I felt like I contributed and learned a lot at the same time. Despite the stereotype about traineeships, my tasks were by no means reduced to sitting in an office and making coffee. Ironically, though, without me there really would not have been any coffee, since it was me who brought a new coffee machine across town and into the office.

Sometimes the work was very relaxed, but at times it was also very tiring and hectic. For example, when I had to lead a group of more than 100 guests alone to a meeting room at the other end of the parliamentary complex. I really felt like a sheepdog, running up and down the corridor and directing the visitors through the parliamentary maze. Even so, I can proudly say that, despite the well-intentioned warnings of assistants and previous trainees, I never got lost in the two months and, in fact, found all the meeting rooms without a problem. The key is to quickly grasp the specific way the buildings, floors and rooms are marked.

The biggest misconception I had before coming to Brussels is that all MEPs are knowledgeable and intelligent, and that European politics is conducted at a higher level than national politics. Sadly, I had to face reality, as I attended several committees and events where I witnessed MEPs who were talking nonsense. I am not talking about disagreeing with them politically – there was plenty of that, and that is perfectly normal and healthy. I am talking about the fact that Members literally did not understand what the speakers before them were saying and were making grandiose statements that were, to put it mildly, embarrassing.

I have found it particularly interesting to follow the power relations and the relationships between the different players. Between the Parliament and the Commission, between the political groups, between MEPs from an individual Member State, between the MEPs within a given political group – all of whom have varying positions and interests that must ultimately be reconciled into a meaningful legislative proposal. It is precisely this multilayered nature of politics and the integration of multiple levels that interest me the most in my studies and in following politics; therefore, watching these processes has really soothed the political scientist in me.

Talking about reports and amendments is not an end in itself and not merely empty talk. I see the European Parliament as a platform where certain power structures and interest groups feel that they can express their views. Were these democratic institutions and power structures abolished, they would lose this sense of inclusiveness; these processes would not disappear, but rather only move elsewhere. This is how we get to unstable states where the processes migrate from meeting rooms to the streets and the battlefields (see Sudan), or authoritarian regimes where decision-making is concentrated in the hands of a corrupt ruling clique. I consider it all the more important that such a forum exists at the European level, as it has a significant impact on the region’s synergy. I feel it is important to emphasise this wider value of the European Parliament, which I was aware of before, but was only really able to experience during my traineeship.

The rest of my account will have a more relaxed tone. I spent my free time in an active manner, swimming a lot at the local pool. On weekends, I had more than enough time to see all the sights in Brussels. I climbed to the top of the City Hall tower, visited the Atomium, saw Manneken Pis in four different attires and much more… I find Brussels a very pleasant city and nicer than Strasbourg. I have learnt that not many would agree, but my opinion remains unchanged. I like the vibe of Brussels, I like its cobbled streets lined with old townhouses and trees. I enjoyed every walk and bike trip.

It goes without saying that I also went to see the headquarters of the other European institutions up close. The Berlaymont, Justus Lipsius and Europa are impressive buildings that are sure to leave you in awe. If you register early enough, you can even get a free place on a guided tour of the European Council headquarters. I also went on a few trips to other Belgian cities. To Ghent, where I was impressed by the city centre, beautifully connected to the river, to Antwerp, the diamond capital of the world, and to Leuven, a historic university town. I discovered how great it is to travel by train, even more so during the weekend when tickets are half-price.

I also very much liked the Brussels weather, as I don’t mind a rainy or a cloudy day. It even snowed on 8 March! But towards the end of my traineeship, it was already sunny and warm. I have thus been lucky to experience both sides of Brussels. Just as I was lucky to experience both sides of the work of MEP Irena Joveva. For the majority of my time in her office, I could follow her work in Brussels. But since I went home during the Easter holidays, I also had the opportunity to gain an insight into the so-called Green Week, which is when MEPs work in their local constituency. I accompanied Irena to an event and was thus able to experience parliamentary work in Brussels, Ljubljana and Brussels again in a single week.

Unfortunately, the downside of Brussels is food. I think we are lucky in Slovenia in the sense that we are influenced by the Italian, Germanic and Balkan cuisines, which, at least to my taste, are much nicer than the French and Belgian cuisines. I had an interesting thought flashing in my mind when I was passing by the tables in the Parliament’s canteen and hearing so many different languages. I imagined the dining room of a spaceship, with several species of creatures onboard, working and exploring space together. I thought of the European Union’s slogan ‘United in Diversity’ and was genuinely moved. In the shops, where I usually met a random crowd, I saw people from all around the world. Perhaps some people would mind that, given that Slovenians are not used to such immense diversity, but I liked it, because it helped me not to feel like a stranger.

As I am moving to my conclusion, I would like to pass on a piece of advice to future trainees. Pay close attention and read your emails! You will receive a mass of invitations to events and other messages that are not relevant to the day-to-day work of a trainee. You can easily miss a really important email. For example, from the Parliament’s transport service, which leaves you without a seat on the charter train to Strasbourg…

The biggest difficulty I have had in writing this blog is to provide a complete description of these two months, during which I have experienced so many different things, thoughts and feelings. I have tried to be brief and to highlight the really essential things. But to sum up, it was definitely an experience worth having. I was exposed to completely new situations and as a result gained an excellent grounding in the job, the work environment, interaction with colleagues, functioning of the European institutions and the behind-the-scenes of politics. In addition, I gained life experience, as I learnt how to navigate the obstacles of leading an independent life. Going to a foreign country for two months, to an unfamiliar city, and meeting so many new people is undoubtedly a challenge. But after a week or two I had settled in and realised what I needed to do, and this is when I started to enjoy the experience. I now feel very at home in Brussels and it will be difficult to leave. But I am definitely glad, because I am leaving with a feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction. And because now I know that I can go abroad and work in such an important international institution as the European Parliament.

I would like to conclude this blog with some words of thanks. Thank you to the assistant and mentor Elma for accompanying, guiding and helping me throughout my traineeship. I could always rely on her and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you to assistants Žana and Rok for their help and patience, especially during my first plenary session in Strasbourg. Thank you also to the local assistants Tilen and Jasna who invited me to the office in Ljubljana and offered me advice even before the official start of my traineeship in Brussels. Thank you to the other Slovenian trainees from the SPC (Slovenian Pastoral Centre Brussels) for sharing so much useful information. And last but not least, thank you to MEP Irena. Her public image reflects that she is a cool and friendly person, but still she pleasantly surprised me with her good humour and humanity, which made my traineeship even better and more rewarding, as I felt that I was working for the right person. Thank you all.

Jakob Grbac

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“Who am I, really?”

“Migration, of whichever kind, is inevitably accompanied with the questioning of one’s own identity. With the search for an answer to the question: who am I, really? It is accompanied with dealing with the multilayered nature of identity from the perspective of nationality, ethnicity and other spatially based feelings of belonging,” MEP Irena Joveva told participants at the event The migratory experience: adopting a three-generational perspective. The event aimed to explore the long-term consequences of traumatic experiences, forced migration and the search for a new life and identity in a foreign land.

The MEP began her video address by saying that the European Union is rich in many different cultures, traditions and languages. This is partly due to migration and population movements. “Migration is nothing new. Nor did it come about because of the Union. Nor is it limited to the Union. /…/ Migration is and always will be.”

”As she said, she, too, questioned her own identity and inquired about it. “I am a Slovenian with Macedonian origins, that’s how I experience myself, that is what defines me. My mother tongue, literally speaking, is Macedonian, but my true mother tongue is Slovenian. And I am proud to have been elected to the European Parliament as a Slovene, and to represent the interests of Slovenia and Slovenes there.”

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Joveva is grateful to her parents for having nurtured both Macedonian and Slovenian culture and the Macedonian and Slovenian languages at home. Thanks to them, she knows her origins, her past, but also her present and future, her homeland, Slovenia. “And above all, I can know myself,” she added.

She went on to point out that some political forces have been critical of immigration and social integration. “A growing number of governments in Europe are presenting multiculturalism as a negative phenomenon that supposedly leads to economic inequality, social fragmentation and loss of cultural identity.”

Conversely, Joveva believes that cultural diversity is a source of enrichment; it not only enriches individuals, but society at large.

”The whole of the European Union. Let us be aware of this. Let us respect diversity, be it religious, national, racial. Let us respect all sexual orientations. Let us respect. Period.”

She concluded her speech by congratulating the Identity on the Line project on winning the prestigious European Museum Academy prize. She pledged that the European Parliament would study their recommendations and try to move things forward so that they do not remain a dead letter.

 

ABOUT THE IDENTITY ON THE LINE PROJECT:

Identity on the Line is a large-scale cooperation project co-funded by the European Union and implemented by six cultural history museums and one university from seven European countries between 2019 and 2023. The project’s findings are summarised in publications, a joint travelling exhibition that has toured Europe, and now in a series of policy recommendations. The project offers ideas for initiatives to promote social cohesion and avoid critical pitfalls on the way to more sustainable societies. In this respect, museums and academic institutions can really transform the communities in which they operate – by providing a safe space where unheard voices can be heard, by providing unique access to information about sensitive experiences, and by creating an arena for collaboration and intercultural dialogue. These are key elements in healing collective trauma.

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Joveva in Maribor: Eurok will help kindergarten children learn about the EU

On Monday, 24 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva visited Maribor. Together with secondary school students from the Prva Gimnazija Maribor, she first attended the presentation of didactic material on the European Union to pre-school children. The booklet introduces the meaning and purpose of the European Union to the youngest children in a simple way, through illustrations of a coin called Eurok. The MEP went on to meet key regional players in the field of education and volunteering.  

Meeting at the Prva Gimnazija Maribor

In thinking about what they could accomplish within the framework of the European Parliament Ambassador School programme, the Prva Gimnazija Maribor students realised that there were no materials that would introduce the European Union to Slovenian Kchildren in simple terms. They took the initiative and created the character Eurok, which MEP Joveva, on behalf of her political group Renew Europe, supported financially.

Together, they handed over the booklets to the kindergarten children of the Boris Peče Maribor kindergarten, which held a special session. It was opened with Ode to Joy, the anthem of the European Union, which was followed by a conversation with MEP Joveva, who asked the children questions about the European Union and was pleasantly surprised about everything they knew: the number of Member States, the common euro currency, and also that the European Parliament is a place where MEPs vote and debate. The children were most astonished when the MEP told them that she commutes to work by plane.

Session at the Boris Peče Maribor Kindergarten

She then met with representatives of Slovene Philanthropy Maribor and the Pekarna Magdalenske Mreže NGO to discuss the challenges in the field of volunteering and the implementation of the European Solidarity Corps programme in practice. A key challenge they mentioned is the lack of resources to recruit coordinators who would be available to volunteers not only to deal with administrative matters, but also to support them in terms of discussing their mental health concerns. This is observed as a growing need. Joveva said that mental health is one of the priority areas that she will be covering within the Public Health subcommittee.

Meeting with representatives of Slovene Philanthropy Maribor and Pekarna Magdalenske Mreže

Meeting with the leadership of the University of Maribor

In the afternoon, the MEP also met with the University of Maribor leadership. The meeting focused on European higher education, its challenges and international opportunities. They stressed the importance of cooperation in the European Union in the field of science and higher education, which will lead to appropriate education, the creation of new professions, more competitiveness and the economy’s further development. They also discussed the common European Education Area, which has great potential but is also constrained by a lack of competences at the European level. Various transnational projects were highlighted, including the European Degree, the European Student Card and paperless Erasmus. These initiatives go beyond national contexts and allow for federal integration at the European level with more cooperation and competitiveness.

MEP Joveva concluded her visit by saying that the European Union must support effective education, which is the only way to truly prepare ourselves for the challenges ahead and for all the new skills and professions that will shape our future.

 

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Joveva for a Czech web portal: “A standing committee for public health and the creation of the European Health Union are needed”

“In all Member States we are seeing issues in healthcare systems. There are shortages of doctors and medicines in every state. It is a common EU problem,” said MEP Irena Joveva, Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT), speaking to the Czech portal Zdravotnicky denik. This is just one of many important public health issues that need to be addressed. It is for this reason that in her view a standing committee on public health is needed, just as it is necessary to create a European Health Union.

MEP Joveva began by explaining that the establishment of the SANT subcommittee was a much-needed step in the evolution of public health policies in the EU. The primary focus of her work in this area will be securing public health as a whole: she will work to ensure that healthcare is accessible, affordable and does not discriminate. Even though public health is a Member State competence, issues are not limited to individual states, rather they have grown into a common EU problem, she pointed out.

The same problems have been prominent for years, if not decades, and it is high time the Union steps in and helps solve them. That is one of the reasons we started forming the European Health Union.

Among other things, Joveva explained that her focus will primarily be on improving mental health policies across the European Union. She believes that we need a more organised approach to tackling this critical issue, especially among young people.

She went on to stress that the discussions and the final report will be extremely important in outlining the changes needed to ensure appropriate and effective public health policies.

The report will outline the basic actions needed for improving public health, highlight the main issues and provide guidelines for the required legislation. It will thus present a well-rounded and good basis for future health policies. I only hope that the future Commission will consider it when drafting new proposals.

Joveva shared with the journalist that EU politicians are currently working on legislation to establish a European Health Data Space (EHDS), which is undoubtedly crucial for ensuring the much-needed cooperation between Member States and is an essential step in creating the European Health Union. Currently, this is the most important proposal, but it will be overshadowed by the upcoming pharmaceutical package, which has been very controversial since the European Commission began drafting it. According to Joveva, access to affordable medicines is essential for the functioning of our health systems, and we therefore need to ensure that prices are managed accordingly: “It might be expedient to arrange a EU joint procurement and distribution between Member States so that everyone has equal access to medicines in the common market.”

She concluded the interview by noting that during the current term of the European Parliament the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) has achieved major improvements in the area of environmental policies and in tackling issues related to the global pandemic. In the face of crisis, however, the need to separate two policy areas that are both crucial for our future – environment and health –became evident. The MEP expressed her conviction that this will be one of the results of the SANT subcommittee – the actual establishment of a permanent, independent committee responsible for all (public) health policies.

Photo: Jan VAN DE VEL

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“We need to amplify the voice of young people”

On Wednesday, 26 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva attended the 3rd Young Political Leaders’ conference, this time organised under the title Bridging the Gap – Western Balkans. The event aims to reinforce youth engagement in politics through discussions on issues such as the role of youth in the enlargement process, green transition and disinformation. The MEP underscored that the voice of young people needs to be strengthened and incorporated into decision-making processes at all levels.

MEP Joveva began by mentioning the importance of cooperation, setting shared goals, and a common path for the Western Balkan countries towards the European Union. She expressed the wish that we will one day see the Western Balkan countries competing with each other in the number of reforms introduced for the benefit of the people and, primarily, in showing support for their neighbours.

”This is the only way leading to a win-win scenario, according to which the region – as a whole – will move ever closer to the European Union.”

She called for cooperation and an end to the ethno-nationalisms that still plague the region.

”Following the European Year of Youth, we want to underline that young people still remain at the heart of the European Union’s policies. It is my strong commitment to enhance the involvement of young people from the region as partners in dialogue with the Union, because the future really is yours. We need to amplify the voice of young people and ensure that the policies reflect what matters most to you. We need to push for more regional initiatives that concern young people and to increase the role of national parliaments in this.”

Foto: Eric Vidal

In addition to MEP Joveva, the panel on regional cooperation in the field of youth included MEPs Matjaž Nemec (S&D) and Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Greens), Berina Bulatović from the Youth Council of BiH, and Klajdi Priska, Policy Officer at the National Youth Congress of Albania.

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”We must not forget to resolve our issues”

On Wednesday, 19 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke at the plenary session in Strasbourg on the EU Global Health Strategy. Stressing the importance of solidarity and of helping everyone in need, particularly in health care, she added that in implementing EU strategies, institutions should not forget to resolve our issues.

Joveva’s opening remarks were critical of the fact that it took thirteen years and a pandemic to happen for the Commission to present a new global health strategy.

“But well, at least we got it. It is well-designed and, if implemented successfully, it will position the Union as a leading geopolitical power in the field of health.”

Joveva strongly supported this objective, but asked those present in the Chamber, and in particular the European Commission, whether the European Union is actually, and not only in theory, ready for a Health Union, which, in plain language, means transferring health competences from the Member States to the European level.

​​“Without this, it is difficult to set strategies for building effective health systems, while within the Union these are under immense pressure and in some places even falling apart. I believe in solidarity and I support helping everyone in need, including – or especially – in health care. But in pursuing our strategies, we must not forget to resolve our issues.”

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech in Slovenian here.

On the European Union’s Global Health Strategy:

At the end of November 2022, the European Commission adopted a new EU Global Health Strategy to improve global health security and deliver better health for all in the fast-changing world. The strategy will strengthen the EU’s leadership and responsibility for tackling key global challenges and inequalities in the field of health care and health.

The main interrelated priorities in dealing with global health challenges set out in the strategy include: delivering better health and well-being of people across the life course, strengthening health systems, and combating health threats, including pandemics.

The strategy seeks to regain the ground lost to reach the universal health-related targets in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

It is also one of the essential pillars of EU foreign policy and central to EU strategic autonomy. It aims to enable better preparedness and faster response to health threats, while promoting sustainable partnerships of equals, drawing on the Global Gateway.

You can read the full EU Global Health Strategy here.

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“Empty promises will remain just that, unless the legislation is revised immediately”

On Wednesday, 19 April 2023, during the Strasbourg plenary session, MEP Irena Joveva contributed to the topical debate Keeping people healthy, water drinkable and soil liveable: getting rid of forever pollutants and strengthening EU chemical legislation now. She said that there has been enough delay in the overhaul of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation. Should an immediate proposal remain outstanding, the European Commission’s empty promises will remain just that – empty, she stressed.

Joveva began by summarising the essence of the plenary debate: the fact that basic goods such as clean water, safe food, unpolluted soil and clean air should be a given. The Union is right to pay a great deal of attention to these areas, but at the same time it shies away from regulating chemicals, where, as Joveva pointed out, there have been no serious amendments since 2006, when the still applicable Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (commonly known as REACH) was adopted.

”The (European) Commission has been seemingly promising its revision for three years now. It appears that the proposal will only be presented in the final quarter of this year, just a few months before the elections. Which means that these empty promises will remain just that. Empty.”

As Joveva elaborated, in the meantime, humans and other organisms will continue to be exposed to harmful chemicals, the negative effects of which will last for decades.

But given that all measures that have been or are being taken in the EU to protect the environment and health succeed or fail depending on closely interconnected areas that remain unregulated, Joveva concluded her speech with determination:

”Enough stalling. We need a revised REACH proposal now. While we still have time to adopt it.”

You can watch MEP Joveva’s speech here (in slovenian).

BACKGROUND

Chemicals are part of our everyday lives and are present in the products we use and in the high-tech materials needed for a circular and climate-neutral economy. The 2006 Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (commonly known as REACH) is the cornerstone of the European Union’s chemicals legislation. This Regulation aims to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment. A targeted revision of the Regulation is currently planned for the fourth quarter of 2023.

On 14 October 2020, the European Commission adopted the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. The Strategy is part of the European Union’s zero pollution ambition – a key commitment of the European Green Deal. Through the strategy, the European Commission aims to better protect citizens and the environment from harmful chemicals and to stimulate innovation by promoting the use of safer and more sustainable chemicals. However, given that this is only a strategy, it is not legally binding on Member States.

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Joveva for Jezikovni Pogovori: ”We have to keep pushing and be tenacious”

On Monday, 18 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva appeared as a guest of the Jezikovni Pogovori (Language Talks) programme on Slovenia’s Radio Ars. She talked about how important it is that the Slovenian language is present in the digital world and about her fight in this respect, stressing that this should not be an ideological issue, and that it requires pushing and tenacity.

Responding to the first question of why and how she had managed to reach Apple’s management, Joveva replied that she had first written to online streaming platforms and then extended the call to the said company, because although the issues are similar, the considerations differ from provider to provider.

“The Slovenian legislation is about to be revised and might introduce changes that will compel companies to move faster with the localisation into Slovenian, which they have been promising.’’

Regarding her meetings with representatives of Netflix, Disney and Apple, Joveva said that the latter had shown the greatest degree of earnestness, as they were well familiar with the subject-matter. Although they prefer not to disclose a specific timeline, the MEP believes that it was due to the pressure from different sides that the companies increased their level of engagement.

Asked whether companies were simply trying to buy time by taking this approach, the MEP replied that one will simply need to insist.

“Anyhow, we share the same goal. Theirs is to stay in Slovenia and reach people through the Slovenian language, and ours is to ensure the equality of Slovenian in the digital world as an official language of the European Union.’’

Joveva was very clear with the representatives of Apple that she will keep a close eye on the progress and that they will stay in touch. She remains optimistic because of the companies’ fear of negative publicity. As to whether the initiative could be supported by the entire political spectrum, she replied:

“I hope – and at the moment it seems so – that this topic will not be used for ideological or political battles. After all, the Committee on Culture (in the National Assembly) consists of representatives of different parties, and they unanimously adopted the resolutions of the meeting.’’

Joveva also spoke about the importance of linguistic diversity for the European Union.

“We have already established that linguistic diversity is a fundamental value of the European Union. This is clearly demonstrated by the European institutions, where all 24 official languages of the European Union – including Slovenian – are on an equal footing. In the European Parliament, the MEPs from larger countries acknowledge the significance of this..’’

Joveva pointed out that linguistic diversity, in its general meaning and purpose, is highlighted by and incorporated into different pieces of European legislation, wherever possible. She explained to the multinationals that current pressure could be followed by a hearing in the competent committee of the European Parliament, the Committee on Culture.

“The issues and challenges are not limited to languages only. In the event of a hearing, these companies would need to explain many other things.’’

In her closing remarks, she said that she is glad that so many people are flying the flag for the Slovene language and, above all, that their initiatives have been taken up by politicians. She is determined to keep pushing, to be tenacious and to work on legislation – including at the European level.

In addition to the MEP, the programme also hosted Lenart J. Kučić, Media Adviser to the Minister of Culture. You can listen to the full programme in Slovenian here and on Spotify, and read an article about the conversation on RTVSLO.

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“Knowledge is power”

“Knowledge has always been and always will be power. Seize it and use it to your advantage,” MEP Irena Joveva urged the young participants in a video address during the Citizens’ Dialogue event on 14 April 2023 in the Austrian province of Carinthia. The event brought together Austrian and Slovenian secondary school students in the framework of the EU Future Talks events.

They discussed the topic of “the European Year of Skills: My Opportunities in the Alps-Adria Research Area”.

A unique aspect of EU Future Talks is that young people can speak directly to politicians, experts and non-governmental organisations. The event also featured a video address by MEP Irena Joveva, who said that EU policies are not only changing our daily lives, but also industry and the labour market. “The latter is facing huge challenges and opportunities; there is a huge digital skills gap among adults, and currently less than 37% of them are actively working to improve their skills.”

The MEP stressed that skills shortages in the labour market must be addressed by organising training and education programmes to reskill and upskill the workforce in line with labour market requirements. She explained that she was drawing attention to this, especially as the young participants in the event were at an age when they were choosing their educational path and thus their future and career.

The European Union offers many opportunities through programmes such as Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, Discover EU and Horizon Europe. “Make the most of these programmes”, she urged young people.

“All of these programmes and many more have been set up for you to learn, to acquire new skills or simply life experiences that will enrich your lives and to give you valuable knowledge that will help you in the future. Knowledge has always been and will always be power – seize it and use it to your advantage.”

The event was also attended by Peter Kaiser, Chairman of the Austrian Social Democratic Party in Carinthia, Martin Polaschek, Regional Minister for Education, via a video message, and Anna Seip from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture (EAC).

A short video summary of the event (in German and English) can be found here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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