“You have to be as honest, accessible and simple as possible with young people.”

On Thursday, November 30, 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke on the Izluščeno program on Radio Si about young people in connection with the upcoming European elections and their fears that they are not interested in European politics. In her opinion, the apathy of young people does not only apply to the European elections, but also to politics as such. The MEP said that it is therefore crucial that politics be approached to young people in a way that they understand, emphasizing that it is necessary to be honest, accessible and as simple as possible towards all people, especially young people.

As the MP said, she doesn’t want to relativize politics, which is a complex and demanding job, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be brought closer to people with better communication:

“But if we communicate with young people using acronyms or from the so-called Brussels bubble, as we like to say here, it doesn’t tell them anything, and it doesn’t help them even less.”

When asked what to do when young voters show interest but need to be addressed, Joveva replied:

“The key thing is the patronizing attitude, which is still very much there. I know very well what it’s like when older people behave patronizingly towards you, and that’s exactly what, unfortunately, most of the older generation, or old political cats, if you like, still do. Not necessarily intentionally, but that’s what repels young people the most in their attitude towards politics.”

Regarding the importance of addressing young people when it comes to the importance of the European Union, the MP explained that it’s necessary to take time for young people because they need it. Young people are a group of people who cannot simply remember what it was like in the past, as they were not even part of that world, so the European Union is taken for granted for them.

”I was also a child when we entered the European Union. If I generalize a bit, because of course the domestic and foreign political situation is different now, but I still remember that you couldn’t cross the border so easily. Or, for example, during your studies… recognizing study programs has never been as easy as it is now, within the European Union. Such things are not self-evident, it simply needs to be repeated to young people.”

In addition to the MP, Andrej Miholič from the European Parliament office in Slovenia was also a guest on the radio show.

Photo: Anže Petkovšek