A kindThe “family portrait” taken during the European Commission’s visit to Slovenia on Thursday lacked an important participant: Frans Timmermans, The first deputy of President Ursula von Delane. That was deliberate—the Social Democratic Party did not want to appear in the picture. Because there was a scandal behind closed doors at the Brdo Conference Center.
The head of the country’s conservative government, Janez Janša, complained that the Slovenian judiciary had been infiltrated by “communist judges”. As the participants later reported, he showed a photo: It can see the judges and politicians of the Social Democratic Party. It is said that Von der Lein immediately intervened and warned Jansha: The judge must be respected, even if they belong to the other party.
Taking over as the chairman of the Slovenian Council of the European Union, which was the reason for the committee’s visit, immediately began to discord. At the subsequent press conference, both Von der Lein and Yang Sha were expressionless, barely looking at each other. “Political dialogue needs to respect all political parties,” Von der Lein said, referring specifically to judges belonging to another party. The scandal occurred at the end of the exchange of work plans in Slovenia, and the conversation turned to the topic of rule of law.
The chairman of the committee publicly issued a clear warning to Yang sofa and asked him to persevere I maintain. She said that Slovenia must ensure the “independence and adequate funding” of the national news agency. Janša called the institution a “national shame” and has long withheld public funds to which she is entitled.
Janša refers to “cultural differences”
In addition, von der Lein asked the country to finally appoint a commissioned prosecutor for the new EU prosecutor’s office. “I count on the Prime Minister to submit his name as a matter of urgency,” she said. Janša rejected the selected candidates and hoped to restart the process. The country’s attorney general, who was a partner of the alliance, resigned.
Yang Sha himself tried not to add fuel to the fire at the press conference. “The rule of law is the basic framework of European civilization. Without the rule of law, it would not exist,” he said. When asked when he would release funds for news organizations, he replied vaguely: “In Europe, when the bills appear, you pay.” New prosecutors will be appointed in the “autumn” period. Prior to this, the EU Prosecutor’s Office, which began work in early June, was unable to conduct a factual investigation in the country. The head of government does not want to explain in more detail why he supports the controversial Hungarian law, which aims to “protect” children from homosexuality. He mentioned in general terms the rights of parents to raise their children and the “cultural differences” in the 27 member alliances.
Timmermans said that night, after Jansha carried out “unacceptable attacks and slanders” on two judges of the European Parliament and two members of the Social Democratic Party, he could not stand on the podium with him at all. Janša questioned the integrity of the judges because they took photos with politicians. “The independence of the judiciary and respect for the role of elected members of the European Parliament are the cornerstones of the rule of law,” Timmermans said. Without this, the EU cannot function. “We must not stop naming their attackers.”
