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.

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’’

On Friday, 7 April 2023, MEP Irena Joveva took part in the Odkrito z odločevalci (Openly with Decision-Makers) discussion with secondary school students from the Gimnazija Nova Gorica. The young audience presented their initiatives for action in the areas they had highlighted as the most topical during workshops. The MEP applauded their choice of topics as excellent and relevant, and welcomed their good suggestions.

The content of the debates was based on the goals defined in the EU Youth Strategy 2019–2027. Out of the 11 goals set out in the Strategy, the students chose four: Connecting EU with Youth, Equality of All Genders, Quality Employment for All, and Mental Health & Well-Being.

In order to implement the Strategy in relation to the goal of Connecting EU with Youth, the students proposed stimulating youth participation through referendums on youth issues which would be open to everyone aged between 16 and 25 years of age. MEP Joveva agreed that young people absolutely need to be involved in decision-making processes (to a greater extent), but that the concept of European-level youth referendums would not be feasible in practice. She added that it would be possible to lower the voting age to 16, as is already the case in some EU Member States, but argued that this would presumably not – at least not sufficiently – enhance participation among people. “It is up to us, politicians, to demonstrate and prove to you that we work to serve your interests, that we are here to listen to you and respond to your demands where we can. To be good role models. This is what will drive greater participation and this is what I am trying to put into practice on a daily basis,” she said.

Poto: Matjaž Mačus, young EP ambassador, student of Gimnazija Nova Gorica

As to the goal of Quality Employment for All, the young people made several suggestions, including a job shadowing scheme. This would allow final year secondary school students to learn about different jobs that match their desired education. The MEP supported the proposal and explained that such a mechanism already exists at EU level: “There is a cross-border programme within Erasmus+, which focuses on quality jobs, exchanges of good practices and additional training for young people before they enter the labour market through financially supported work placements.” She stressed, however, that participation is only open to applicants of legal age, which has to be taken into account.

In the area of mental health, young people expressed the urgency for setting up various meetings, workshops and training sessions across European countries to exchange good practices. Joveva agreed, explaining that during the current term of the European Parliament, mental health issues have finally come more to the fore. She shared with the audience that she has been appointed Vice-Chair of the newly established Subcommittee on Public Health and that she places mental health at the top of her list of priorities.

With respect to the goal of ensuring equal pay for equal work and an equal distribution of work responsibilities, the young people proposed that for women, part-time work of six-hours be considered full-time employment. The MEP commented on the proposal by saying that if implemented, it would then discriminate against men. However, she believed that a proposal to allow for the possibility of part-time work in general, for all, would be worth considering. She did point out, however, that the EU lacks competence in this area.

Foto: Matjaž Mačus

Joveva also elaborated that the EU is taking important steps to promote equality between men and women in the workplace, with measures ranging from regulations to ensure gender balance among non-executive directors of companies to directives, for example on applying the principle of equal pay for equal work for men and women, with pay transparency and enforcement mechanisms.

Joining MEP Joveva for e discussion with the young audience on their proposals were Matej Arčon, Minister for Slovenians Abroad, Elena Zavadlav Ušaj, State Councillor, and Samo Turel, Mayor of the Municipality of Nova Gorica.