The letter that Ursula von der Leyen sent to Robert Golob has finally been found. The content of the letter exposed the Prime Minister’s blatant lies that Slovenia faced no pressure from Brussels and that former Commissioner candidate Tomaž Vesel had resigned of his own accord. He didn’t. He “was resigned” by Prime Minister Robert Golob and by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The letter reads:
“Dear Prime Minister,
On 19 August 2024, you have suggested Mr. Tomaž Vesel as Member of the Commission, pursuant to Article 17(7) of the Treaty on European Union.
In line with my duty pursuant to that same provision and Article 17(3) of the Treaty on European Union, I have interviewed the proposed candidate and assessed the general competence, European commitment and independence of Mr. Tomaž Vesel. In that assessment, I have in particular taken into account his prior professional experience, as set out in his CV.
As you know, Members of the Commission have to be able to engage with Members of the European Parliament and of the Council and to successfully defend the initiatives the Commission submits to them, as well as to conduct very important negotiations with third countries on behalf of the Union. Those competences are crucial for fulfilling the institutional role of the Commission pursuant to Article 17(1) and (2) of the Treaty on European Union. Those competences are acquired in particular in exercising high-profile political or at least ambassadorial responsibilities at the Union or at national level.
Having carefully assessed your suggestion, I regret to inform you that I am not in a position to propose Mr. Tomaž Vesel to the Council as part of the list of members of the Commission.
I therefore invite you to suggest without delay another candidate in order to proceed expeditiously. I would appreciate to receive your suggestion latest by Tuesday, 10 September 2024.
Yours sincerely,
Ursula von der Leyen”
“Tomaž Vesel did not resign on the 6th of September 2024, but was formally rejected by Ursula von der Leyen the day before on Golob’s proposal. Because, with the strong involvement of Zoran Janković and his Balkan friends, Marta Kos had already been chosen beforehand? Otherwise, the then-officially Slovenian Commissioner-designate Vesel would have been sitting next to Ursula von der Leyen at the Bled Strategic Forum at the beginning of the month. But Golob did not even invite him. Kos had been a possible candidate in the background for a long time, but because of her “baggage,” they tried to get her into the European Commission at the last minute, thus shortening the time of the debate and digging into her murky past,” the President of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), Janez Janša, commented on the revelations from the letter.
Meanwhile, not so long ago, Prime Minister Robert Golob was still openly lying to the public: “Look, Tomaž Vesel has decided on his own to withdraw from the race. He also explained his reasons. I think he is the only one who can explain them. He explained that his reasons were mainly a difference of concept as to how the European Commission should work.”
Now compare the Prime Minister’s words with a key part of the letter sent to him by the President of the European Commission on the 5th of September 2024, the day before Vesel’s resignation.
She wrote: “Having carefully assessed your suggestion, I regret to inform you that I am not in a position to propose Mr. Tomaž Vesel to the Council as part of the list of members of the Commission. I therefore invite you to suggest without delay another candidate in order to proceed expeditiously. I would appreciate to receive your suggestion latest by Tuesday, 10 September 2024.”
“The lying, narcissistic Prime Minister claimed on RTV Slovenia yesterday that he had handed over all the relevant documentation to the National Assembly, saying that there were no letters from von der Leyen. The FIDES trade union of doctors, the Young Doctors and the Medical Chamber of Slovenia, you can rest assured. The claim of doctors who do nothing is also just another lie by the narcissist,” former Interior Minister Aleš Hojs commented on the revelation of the letter.
The SDS party also commented on the letter on X, writing: “The letter from von der Leyen proves that the Prime Minister lied! He lied about the letter not existing. He lied that the government had already sent everything that is relevant to the procedure to the National Assembly. He lied about the correspondence being confidential. He lied that Tomaž Vesel resigned on his own.” And another X user by the name of Peter Keše wrote: “They are lying. They know they are lying. We know they are lying. They know that we know that they are lying. We know that they know that we know that they are lying. And they are still lying,” further highlighting the absurdity of the situation.
The unmasked Golob and a record-short press conference
The unmasked Prime Minister held a record-breakingly short press conference on Tuesday, in which he did not say a word about the lies he has been spreading around Slovenia for the last 14 days. But he is convinced that Slovenia has managed a historic coup. “Slovenia has managed a historic coup. We have been entrusted with a great responsibility. With the enlargement portfolio, Slovenia has been given the key to stability and peace, not only in the Western Balkans but also in Eastern Europe. This portfolio also includes the reconstruction of Ukraine,” he said. He added: “I am proud of Slovenia. I would also like to thank all of the previous governments and, above all, the citizens, because the added value we bring to this portfolio is our success story of the last 20 years.”
Vesel had to drop out over sexual politics
Ursula von der Leyen promised the European public that she would set up a gender-balanced Commission and then called on Member State leaders to nominate a male and a female candidate. The letter sent by the President of the European Commission to Golob does not mention gender quotas. Von der Leyen wrote that the candidate would need to have a background in high politics or as an ambassador. However, Marta Kos does not meet the required criteria either. Golob’s second choice has never held a high-level political post and was appointed to the post of ambassador as part of the political quota. The President of the European Commission also seems to be unconcerned with the details of the career history of the Slovenian nominee for Commissioner. There is evidence that she was a source for the Directorate for State Security or UDBA, the secret police of the former Yugoslavia, and as an ambassador, she had to face professional scrutiny.
An encroachment on sovereignty
The letter of the President of the European Commission also reveals her bold encroachment on the sovereignty of the Republic of Slovenia. MEP Milan Zver commented: “Ursula von der Leyen, bypassing her powers, rejected the Slovenian Commissioner-designate because she “found” during her interview that he was not competent enough. But she immediately nominated Marta Kos for the Enlargement portfolio without a second thought and without an interview.”
Ž. K.
