On Monday, 23 May 2022, MEP Irena Joveva attended the Studio Europe: Volunteers, Heroes of European Solidarity event, where she and the participants discussed the challenges of volunteering and addressed the question of its future, including in the light of the epidemic and the war in Ukraine. Joveva highlighted the fact that volunteering organisations bear a heavy burden of responsibility in crisis situations, and at the same time provide the lion’s share of aid, which must be acknowledged without reservation.

The participants agreed that in Slovenia volunteering has a long and strong tradition. This form of philanthropic assistance is especially visible in times of severe crises when the work of volunteers and NGOs becomes particularly important for the well-being of people and communities in need. Still, the successful operation of volunteering organisations also hinges on the financial and material support of the competent authorities, which must enable them to work as efficiently and smoothly as possible.

As rapporteur on behalf of Renew Europe for the European Solidarity Corps, Ms Joveva presented a few details about this programme, for which a separate budget line has been foreseen for the first time and much more funding envisaged than in previous years. The European Solidarity Corps allows young Europeans to volunteer or participate in projects in an EU Member State or a partner country. She called for a greater promotion of the high-quality and diverse programme that shows that the European Parliament appreciates volunteering and wishes to ensure that it is as inclusive and accessible as possible for those in need.

“Financial support for volunteering organisations may have decreased during, say, the financial crisis, but despite the obstacles, the human side of volunteering has been reinforced. In times of need, Slovenians will step together to organise help in any way we can. And often those who have less help more. The promotion of volunteering has also received a big push from the social networks.”

Asked by the moderator how best to strengthen the cooperation of volunteering organisations with the EU institutions and other Member States, Joveva said that crises know no borders. Therefore, in her view, it would make sense to introduce more coherent and integrated cooperation between all of the above, and to give volunteering organisations more space, as they know the problems in the local environment and are in daily contact with the most vulnerable.

“Cooperation needs to be strengthened at all levels, both in the volunteering sector as well as at the level of national institutions. This will facilitate wider European support for adequate funding for these organisations, as well as for their promotion.”

Finally, Joveva expressed her wish that volunteering should not be taken for granted, which might be happening under the influence of the growing individualism in society.

“Volunteers need financial and material support, but they also need respect and encouragement, because volunteering is the backbone of our society. Education of young people is also key, and I would like to see volunteering promoted in a way that gives up the patronising attitude towards young people, which can drive them away.”

In addition to MEP Joveva, the event was attended by Gregor Gomboši, Commander of the Ljubljana-Vič Volunteer Fire Brigade; Tjaša Arko, Head of the Volunteering Programme at the Slovenian Philanthropy; Sandi Curk, Commander of the Notranjska Regional Civil Protection Headquarters; and Miha Zupančič, President of the Youth Council of Slovenia.

Volunteering is not just about doing unpaid work. It is about contributing to the building of society, about a sense of one’s fellow humans, which we must value highly. That is why, on the occasion of National Volunteer Week, the office of MEP Irena Joveva would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to each and every volunteer.

You can watch a video of the event HERE.

For the third time in her term of office, on Tuesday, 10 May 2022,  MEP Irena Joveva met with secondary school students from Novo mesto Gymnasium. On the occasion of Europe Week and the Year of Youth, she spoke about youth issues and current events in Slovenia and beyond. She considers it important to talk to young people in order to raise awareness about the importance of their participation in shaping the policies that affect their future, something which should also be fostered at home and at school.

First, she explained how she has been manoeuvring between her work as an MEP and motherhood over the past year, as it was noticed that her then nine-month-old daughter Mila was keeping her company in the European Parliament chamber during the vote: “I gave her some papers to distract her, some toys and some water, and that was it. Nobody minded her presence, everybody was happy with her being there and it was all very positive –she only made the atmosphere more pleasant.” She also described what her job is like: “It’s a 24/7 mission, both motherhood and being an MEP. Even if you are not working at a given moment, you can never switch off.”

According to Joveva, political discourse in Slovenia is currently at its lowest point. The culture of dialogue in the European Parliament is better, but even there you find some MEPs who are very extreme, manipulative and dangerously populist. They are, however, much more marginalised.

“No one in the European Parliament works with the MEPs from extreme political groups with hideous positions. It is clear who is OK and who isn’t, while in our National Assembly it is unfortunately much less clear cut. I cannot imagine the President of the European Parliament or the President of the Council communicating in the way that top-level politicians do here.”

She said that her colleagues in Brussels find it inconceivable that this could be happening in Slovenia.

Joveva also pointed to the extremely hostile communication on social networks, where she, too, has been criticised for her looks, her background and, more recently, her motherhood and her career. “I am sure that if I were a man, there would be less of this. Nobody discusses male colleagues, who are also fathers to young children, this way,” she added. She has also been criticised for her youth and alleged inexperience. But she entered politics also because she believes that the future of young people should be decided by people who are not burdened by the past, scandals, extreme views, or who are advanced in years. “Young people are increasingly important, not least in EU policies. The fight for young people is very prominent in the context of environmental issues and employment,” she said, adding that political education should be cultivated both at home and at school, and that she is always happy and pleased to respond to invitations to meet young people. She impressed on the audience to make use of all the programmes available in the framework of EU projects, especially the Erasmus exchange programme. She feels it is important to foster curiosity and consideration: “This is crucial, politicians and people in general should become more considerate. Considerate people see and feel other people more and can distinguish right from wrong.”

A large part of the discussion was devoted to current events in Slovenia and Europe. Joveva explained that the elections in France and Slovenia showed that people do not want extreme policies and division. She repeated how important it is to exercise the right to vote, otherwise one should not feel entitled to be critical of the elected representatives of the people.  She also expressed dissatisfaction with the way the campaign had been run and with the political messages directed at young people: “I don’t think there was enough focus on young people. Apart from the platitudes that are heard time and again, there wasn’t much substance.”

Joveva is worried about the war in the heart of Europe: “It is very difficult for me to express anything but condemnation – what is happening is horrific, but also extremely dangerous. We all hope that the situation will calm down soon, but we have to be realistic – it doesn’t look like it will. The European Parliament and the MEPs are doing everything we can to at least make the situation easier for people, although we acknowledge we cannot solve it.” The war is also resulting in a new wave of refugees, and the MEP stressed that all refugees and people fleeing dangerous areas must receive equal help. She was critical of Poland and Hungary, which among other things have been blocking the adoption of the legislative package governing the EU’s migrant policy in the Council for several years.

“I do find it somewhat ironic that Poland and Hungary, which are holding up the adoption of migration legislation, are now bearing the brunt of the refugees from Ukraine.”

Multiculturalism is one of Europe’s most important values, as the EU’s motto is ‘United in diversity’. Coming from a multicultural family, she sees this as her advantage. “I have always said that I am proud of my origins and of my homeland, which is Slovenia. I was born here, my father is Bulgarian and my mother Macedonian. This is reflected in everything else: if you have lived with people of different religions, backgrounds and, after all, political beliefs your whole life, this is reflected not only in your personality but also in your profession – especially in my case,” she concluded.

A notorious photo of Irena Joveva, then still a journalist. With a step stool in front of the SDS headquarters. Dreadful, shameful, whose interests does she represent, did she use a step stool to climb into office … I could read all this nonsense (and more) about myself. But not when the photo was taken – which was on the day of the 2018 parliamentary elections ­– when nobody was bothered by that poor little step stool yet. Except me, because it wasn’t the easiest thing to stand on. 😁 It started bothering people later, when I was elected to the European Parliament. Because they simply had to find something, and this is what they pulled out. Oh, ha ha, how very funny it is that Irena Joveva is standing on a step stool.

Right, let it be funny. I have no problem with that. But I do have a problem with the fact that they also make fun of much more serious things.

What am I talking about?

I’m talking about the fact that the long-standing, legendary Studio City presenter Marcel Štefančič is leaving the show. Because that’s what the people in charge have decided. I’m not even going to mention who is to replace him because … because I prefer to quote Marcel: “What is happening now is a twilight zone. I cannot imagine what is in the heads of people who come up with such ideas.”

… And, if I may add, I do know what is in the heads of people who come up with such ideas. They are corrupt, unscrupulous, perverted, despicable heads of enforced conformity, propaganda, discrediting and the desire to devastate everything and everyone who dares to critically evaluate them or the developments related to them.

I am talking about the fact that today is World Press Freedom Day. And that Slovenia has slipped 18 places on the press freedom index, now ranking 54^th. The worst showing in its history. And about the fact that on this very day – how ironic – the model offered to us by the current government has once again ‘proven its worth’. The luckily outgoing government, which, unfortunately, still has enough cronies it has appointed to numerous posts to still be able to cause damage.

To use its final breaths to present all this as “concern” for “media pluralism” and as a fiction that critical media and journalists are linked to communist forces or some other ghosts of the past. That this is a political battle, right vs left and vice versa.

No, it isn’t. It’s very simple. This is nothing but a model of authoritarian, partisan, illiberal hijacking of the state and complete subjugation of the media space. It is an attempt to destroy the public service broadcaster RTV and critical reporting.

If media freedom falls, democracy falls. I am sorry to have to write about this on this day. And I hope with all my heart that on this day a year from now, I will be able to write about better times for journalism in Slovenia. Not only because of the change of power, but also because I sincerely count on European legislation. I count on the forthcoming European Media Freedom Act, which will help us to not only be ‘extremely concerned’ when such things happen in the EU, but will give us a stronger tool to fight power structures that think they can do whatever they like. They can’t. They won’t. Never again!

– Irena

On Wednesday 20 April 2022, MEP Irena Joveva took part in an online debate with the European Parliament’s Student Ambassadors entitled “If I Were to Decide” (Če bi jaz odločal(a)) on preventing addiction among young people. Unfortunately, addiction is not a rare phenomenon, and the young people taking part in the debate shared their views on the issue and explored possible policy solutions with MEP Joveva. They agreed that the most important thing is to prevent addiction from developing in the first place. Young people most often try drugs out of curiosity and to prove themselves to their peers, but they need to realise that they will only be really “cool” if they are good people, underscored the MEP.

Joveva began by outlining some facts about addiction that have come out of European research. Young people often turn to cigarettes and alcohol at an early age because both are relatively easy to access. The use of soft and hard drugs is also relatively high. The MEP is in favour of legalising cannabis for both medical and personal use, along the lines of some other European countries, but considers it important to regulate the quantities permitted for cultivation and possession, set age limits and restrict abuse. She takes a more radical view on hard drugs, wanting them to be eradicated completely. Just as worrying are non-chemical addictions, with addictions to electronic devices particularly on the rise. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problems in all areas of addiction.

The initial exchange was followed by presentations by secondary school pupils, based on workshops organised in schools. Their main message was that it all starts at home. This is where the healthy development of adolescents with a positive self-image should be ensured. In the students’ opinion peer relationships and other supportive environments – shaped by relatives, acquaintances, neighbours and teachers – are also very important. The students added that there is a lack of awareness-raising and education, both for young people and for the elderly. The MEP also highlighted the increasing pressures from the environment:

“Why is addiction a problem with many young people? They are looking for something to help them forget their problems, and it is usually due to these problems that they succumb to addiction. The epidemic has made things worse and you have made an excellent suggestion that young people should be taught how to resist these temptations. Especially during adolescence, when the temptations to prove oneself are even greater. As a society, we put enormous pressure on young people. We live in a world of competition and consumerism because we think it will make us happy.”

According to Joveva, young people try drugs out of curiosity, but there are always deeper factors at play for developing addiction. A sense of self-worth can only be gained in a community, so we need to rethink our values as a society, she said. The various funds available within the European Union provide substantial resources for the implementation of addiction prevention programmes. In addition, it is also important to tighten controls over drug dealers and to carry out investigations which must lead to conclusion, that is to say, to the exposure of the criminal networks that control the market in illicit substances.

One of the proposals was to raise the age limit for buying alcohol and tobacco products. The MEP was critical of Slovenia’s attitude towards alcohol:

“Every major event is an opportunity for a toast, so it is vital that adults behave all the more responsibly not to entice young people to drinking and to prevent them from coming into contact with alcohol. Raising the age limit is unlikely to help.”

NGOs and help centres were also mentioned. Joveva said that these already exist, but there is a need for better information and awareness-raising about who young people and their parents can turn to. Cooperation between the responsible institutions at the national, regional and local levels is not effective enough. In the spirit of the time we live in, a special focus in the debate was placed on non-chemical addiction. This is a growing problem, faced by young and old alike. “Today we live in a world where many things are done digitally, and it is important to learn digital literacy at an early age. But the key is to know how to use technology properly,” she said. She does not think that technological abstinence is a realistic option, as many functions cannot be performed without technology. “We should reduce the use of technology, use softer approaches or offer alternatives, but I don’t agree with the stick approach, punishing bad behaviour. Adolescents need to realise themselves that spending so much time on the internet is problematic. In the long run, this is the only effective approach to take.” She also reiterated the urgent need to change the value system of young people: “You aren’t cool if you smoke and drink, you are cool if you are a good person!”

 

Watch the whole discussion: