Slovenia’s EU Presidency started with a scandal

Because Prime Minister Janez Jansa complained that the judiciary in his country had been infiltrated by social democrats, Frans Timmermans, the EU commissioner responsible for climate protection, boycotted the traditional group photo in Brdo on Thursday.

Jansa had previously shown a photo at the meeting with the EU Commission that shows Richter together with social democratic politicians, as one of the participants in the group reported. The photo should therefore show that the judiciary was infiltrated by the left. Thereupon the Dutch social democrat Timmermans refused the group picture. According to the dpa, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said, according to participants, that judges are allowed to have a biography and that they have to be treated with respect, even if they have a different political opinion.

“I just couldn’t stand on the same podium as Prime Minister Jansa after his unacceptable attack and the defamation of two judges and two social democratic MEPs,” Timmermans then told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. According to dpa, a spokesman for the Slovenian presidency initially did not want to comment on the incident.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had previously warned the Slovenian EU Council Presidency to comply with the rule of law. The presidency plays an important role in the current rule of law dossiers, said von der Leyen at a joint press conference with the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa on Thursday in Ljubljana. “Trust is our most valuable asset.”

Von der Leyen called for trust in solid institutions, an independent judiciary and the media, as well as freedom of expression and respect for diversity and equality. Jansa sided with Poland and Hungary in the conflict about linking the rule of law with the EU budget. His target also regularly includes domestic and foreign journalists, constitutional judges, European politicians and diplomats.

The EU Commission chief sharply criticized the delay in sending the Slovenian public prosecutors to the new European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). “Slovenia must deliver and cooperate with EPPO,” said von der Leyen at a joint press conference with Jansa. The latter announced that the new nomination process would be completed by autumn.

“Slovenia has its own legislation,” emphasized the conservative prime minister. The nomination process will be repeated. Many other EU states, such as Sweden, which do not participate in the EPPO, would not be pilloried for misusing EU funds, Jansa further criticized. Most recently, Jansa had justified the blockade with the fact that the public prosecutor had repeatedly made false accusations against politicians from his right-wing national camp in the past.

The EPPO officially started its work in Luxembourg at the beginning of June under the leadership of the Romanian corruption hunter Laura Kövesi. The EU authority is to investigate, prosecute and bring criminal offenses related to the EU budget such as fraud and corruption as well as serious cross-border VAT fraud. Kövesi described Jansa’s behavior as “sabotage”.

Slovenia took over the presidency of the European Union on Thursday until the end of the year. The top topic is overcoming the corona pandemic and its serious economic consequences. The implementation of the multi-billion dollar reconstruction fund and the establishment of a health union are pending. The EU enlargement and the issues of climate protection, digitization and migration are becoming important. The climax is the summit in early October in the Western Balkans.

The 27 EU states take turns in the presidency every six months. Slovenia took over from Portugal on Thursday and will hand over to France on January 1st. The presiding country chairs the meetings of the councils of ministers responsible for legislation.