Vinko Gorenak, State Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, accused the Social Democrats party (SD) and its President, Tanja Fajon, of lying about the (non)success of Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. As proof, Gorenak posted an excerpt from a news show on the commercial TV station Kanal A (Channel A) on his Twitter profile, which highlighted how both the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, thanked Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Janša for a successful presidency and congratulated him on a job well done.
“I have a question for Tanja Fajon and the SD party. Who is lying – you and your party, or the EU leadership and the show Svet on the TV station Kanal A?” the State Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Vinko Gorenak, wondered on Twitter.
Namely, the show Svet (World) on Kanal A reported that Slovenia was “the fourth country in a row to successfully preside over the Council of the European Union during the covid-19 pandemic, and the Prime Minister received praise from all stakeholders for the success of the presidency.” The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, as well as President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also thanked Janez Janša for a successful presidency.
“Inappropriate tweeting”
Gorenak called on both SD President Tanja Fajon, as well as her party, to watch the excerpt from the news show on Kanal A that he posted with his Twitter response. “Make sure to watch the recording, and I hope you are at least a little ashamed of the lies you are spreading about our presidency.”
Namely, Fajon insists that Slovenia wasted an opportunity when it comes to the political part of the presidency. “My colleagues will mostly remember the presidency because of the inappropriate tweeting of our Prime Minister, the non-appointment of the European Delegated Prosecutors, and the lack of payment for the Slovenian Press Agency, which was summed up by the resolution adopted with a majority in the European Parliament, which casts a negative light on Slovenia.” Namely, 356 MEPs voted in favour, 284 against, and 40 abstained from voting on the resolution
But despite the efforts of the left-wing opposition, the resolution is the complete opposite of what the authors expected. According to Romana Tomc, two main criticisms of the government were left out, and on the other hand, the discussion offered the chance for a more detailed explanation of the Slovenian reality. “So this was yet another attempt of the so-called Constitutional Arch Coalition, which are actually the left-wing parties of the current opposition, which has failed completely.” Tomc, a Member of European Parliament from the ranks of the EPP party, voted against the resolution because it lacks the most important facts and information that would highlight the shortcomings of the rule of law, draw attention to the unbalanced state of the media, and systemic corruption that has been going on since the inception. The second reason why she voted against it is that the resolution is a distorted political pamphlet exported by the Slovenian opposition, with the sole purpose of harming the current government. And last but not least, a vote against the resolution also carries an important message against the European left, which, under the guise of the rule of law, human rights and democracy, is abusing the European Parliament and trying to create a European Union that will forget about its values.
Ivan Šokić
