“Unity, perseverance, freedom.”

Unity, perseverance, freedom. Three words that are not only an echo of the past, but also the outline of our future.

On Independence and Unity Day, we remember the day when the Slovenian people clearly expressed their will for their country in a plebiscite. A turning point more than three decades ago, when we as a nation chose our own path. Our path.

No one said it would be easy, but along the way we’ve never lost our identity, culture, or language. Patriots excluded, of course.

Otherwise, it was the pride, identity, culture and language that strengthened the Slovenian nation throughout the history and gave it perseverance, which is what has kept this nation standing and surviving all these years.

The independence and freedom that we won three decades ago should by no means be something that we can take for granted today, when we have our own country.

Today is a day, that carries a broader meaning than just remembering the beginnings of our country. It is also an opportunity to look to the future and reflect on the kind of society we want to live in and the country we want to help create.

It is up to all of us, to not give up on the path to an even more inclusive, successful and united Slovenia.

Good luck, dear Slovenia!

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“Historic white smoke! We did it!”

Historic white smoke! We did it!

“‘There’s no way you’re going to get this done in this term.'” We’ve been hearing that for over a year. I’ve thought about it myself many times. I admit it.

There were attempts to demolish it from all sides. There were rebellions. There were disputes about who was responsible for what. There was drama. A lot of drama. But… reason won. Remember the Renew Europe team in this photo, who did everything and more so that after a whole day of final interinstitutional negotiations I can write to you: we have reached a political agreement on the final text of the European Media Freedom Act!

Democracy cannot function without free, critical and professional journalism. I really can’t describe my current feelings. I’m so pleased that with this legislation we are also recognizing this role of the media at the European Union level.

We know from experience that the media are constantly under pressure from political subordination, private (or business) interests or state restrictions on their activities. In the European Union, specifically the competent European Commission, they could only be “concerned” when serious violations occurred. There was no legal basis for concrete measures. Now, with this legislation, there will be.

The media has been given a special place on the market, a special place on the Internet, and journalists have been given special protection against espionage, against interference with editorial freedom, against attempts at political takeover. The content of the law is very good. Of course, also because I managed to include many of my proposals in it.

The final official confirmation will follow in the first half of next year. Thanks in particular to Rok and Joanna for their patience, determination and persistence in the endlessly long technical meetings, and of course also to my colleague from the Civil Liberties Committee (who had a say in part of the text) Ramona and her colleague Gabriel. Together we made it.

And to all you who read and follow me, greetings from Brussels!

– Irena

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“How many of you have ever made a joke about young people who still live with their parents?”

On Wednesday, December 13th, 2023, MEP Irena Joveva discussed the European Union’s strategy to help young people coping with the housing and cost of living crisis at the plenary session in Strasbourg. How many of you here have ever made a joke about young people, for example 30-year-olds and 40-year-olds, who still live with their parents? Or heard those “jokes” about the mama hotel, Joveva asked her colleagues present at the outset.

“I guess many of you. I find such remarks sad. The circumstances that the younger generations face today can only be funny in satire, which is not the case in reality.”

As the MP pointed out, young people find themselves in an unfavourable economic environment, which is reflected in the lack of affordable real estate, record high inflation and high interest rates on loans on the one hand, and in the lack of quality, stable and adequately paid jobs on the other. According to her, all of the above puts young people in an even more unenviable position, which “not only threatens their independence, but also their mental health”.

“Initiatives to create quality jobs at the European Union level exist and aim to regulate the labor market in a youth-friendly way, but what we lack is initiatives for affordable housing.”

The MP continued with proposals for measures that the European Union could introduce in this area: encouraging the construction of new housing, introducing subsidies for young people when purchasing housing, enabling favourable credit conditions, etc.

She concluded her speech with a call for measures to improve the situation of young people, implemented through strategies, to be realized

You can watch the full speech here.

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“I can’t change the world, but I change what I can for the better.”

On Friday, 8 December 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke with her Slovenian colleagues about the achievements and challenges of her outgoing mandate at a debate in Studio Evropa. ”When I accepted the fact that I cannot change the world, even though it needs to be changed for the better, I focused on the part that I can change. For the better,” she said, among other things.

When asked by a journalist about the fact that she is the youngest Slovenian MEP, Joveva emphasized that there has always been a patronizing attitude towards younger people, but that this is not an obstacle for her in any way.

“Experience is important, just as new energy is important, which – given the current composition of the European Parliament – has also been recognized by voters, as many of us represent the younger generation.”

Although her five-year parliamentary term is slowly coming to an end, the MEP is far from finished with her work, quite the opposite. As she explained, as the parliamentary rapporteur-general and rapporteur on behalf of her political group Renew Europe, she is currently focusing on two important pieces of legislation, hoping they will be passed during this term: statistics and freedom of the media.

When asked what stage the European Media Freedom Act is currently in, Joveva replied that the negotiators still have at least one more round of political negotiations ahead of them, and she is optimistic that they will succeed in reaching a compromise on the final text.

“In preparing the media freedom act, it remains crucial that this legislation prevents any pressure on journalists, prohibits any interference in editorial decisions, and ensures the public publication of data.”

The MP concluded her part of the discussion by saying that she would be happy to continue her work as a European Member of Parliament with even greater energy and enthusiasm, if the voters decide so.

In addition to MP Irena Joveva, MPs Klemen Grošelj, Milan Brglez, Matjaž Nemec, Franc Bogovič and Milan Zver, as well as MPs Ljudmila Novak and Romana Tomc participated in the discussion. The discussion was moderated by journalist and editor-in-chief of Večer Matija Stepišnik.

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“We actively break down prejudices.”

On 1 December 2023, World AIDS Day, MEP Irena Joveva, in collaboration with the youth and the Freedom Movement parliamentary group, raised awareness among passers-by about the dangers of HIV on Prešeren Square in Ljubljana. Among other things, the MEP, who is the Vice-Chair of the Public Health Committee, presented the European Parliament’s commitment to actively breaking down prejudices about this disease, as well as calls for further awareness-raising and preventive action.

Aids still marks our world, as it still affects millions of people around the world, said Joveva. She finds it especially important to raise awareness among young people about the importance of safe sex and the dangers of HIV infection: ”Today we are doing exactly that. We are raising awareness about the dangers of this disease and trying to present it to them in a slightly more innovative way.”

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“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

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“It’s November 29th.”

It’s November 29th.

No, I won’t write about the holiday of the former commonwealth, which some of you may have thought of now.

I will write about today’s international day, which is marked by uncertainty, worry, pain, death, injustice, but also by tenacious determination and hope for a better tomorrow.

Today is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Already marked in the past by violent unilateral actions by Israel, which have led to forced evictions, demolitions of Palestinian homes, restrictions on movement and deadly attacks. Already marked in the past by a longing for an end to the occupation. Segregation. With the hope that the international community will finally take action.

Today is also the day when – unless otherwise agreed at the negotiations in Qatar – the six-day ceasefire between Hamas and Israel expires, and the related exchange of hostages and prisoners.

But what will happen tomorrow? What will the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People be like next year? What kind of solidarity is that?

Today is marked by the United Nations. If, under the cloak of patronizing solidarity and fine slogans, there are real efforts for justice and peace, the same United Nations should at least consistently respect its adopted resolutions. Especially the one that envisages the establishment of two separate states in the area of the former British mandate.

The only guarantee for the safety of all civilians and lasting peace in the Middle East lies in a permanent ceasefire, a sincere return of the State of Israel to the peace process, and the formulation of a peace plan that will lead to the final establishment and international recognition of yet another state that has the right to exist: the State of Palestine.

– Irena

Photo: – EP Alexis Haulot/EP

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Never again… but over and over again

For almost two years we have been following the horrors of the war in Ukraine. For more than two months we have been following the horrors of the war in Gaza.

Yes, we are following. More or less. We express concern. We condemn. We regret. And we wonder. Every now and then we demand something. Not enough. Do we take action? Even less.

I will write once again that I condemn this eternal concern of ours and our eternal double standards. Why is one innocent life more valuable than another?

We were not in the world during the two world wars. But surely you all know, as I do, that after the second one, “never again” was repeated over and over again. After the Holocaust, and after the horrors in the territory of the former common state, the genocide in Srebrenica, and after the genocide in Rwanda… we repeated “never again” over and over again.

To avoid misunderstanding, I am not making comparisons between attacks, murders, and wars. I want to say that we are losing our compass again. Again and again. Again we are losing opportunities for decisive pressure, again we are without concrete measures, without sanctions that would reflect the true unity of the European Union and the international community, that we stand behind the words “never again”. That we actually understand them.

The gaps between the stated principles and the actual actions are felt most painfully by the innocent. Also (but not only) by the children who are left without protection and help.

With indiscriminate attacks on schools, horrifying scenes from hospitals and rescues from under the rubble, the phrase “never again” increasingly sounds like… an empty nothing. Again and again.

I will not accept this. Even though I am in the minority, this does not mean that I was, am or will be silent. It does not occur to me. I move matters where I can, from the position I am in. I am not doing this just now. I’m not doing this because I want to score points on the shoulders of civilians. I’ve been doing this my entire term. Because “never again” is a commitment for me. For us and for future generations.

Again and again.

Irena

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“People in the Western Balkans deserve better. Enough is enough.”

At the 22nd meeting of the EU-North Macedonia Joint Parliamentary Committee, which took place during the November plenary session in Strasbourg, MEP Irena Joveva spoke about relations in the region and the state of the media. Among other things, she stressed that the people of the Western Balkans, including – or especially – the citizens of North Macedonia, deserve better. She called on the part of politicians who prefer to engage in manipulation and provocations to start realizing this: “Enough is enough.”

The two-day meeting brought together members of the Macedonian Sobranie and Members of the European Parliament, who exchanged views on current challenges and discussed the opportunities (and mistakes) on North Macedonia’s European path.

During a debate on (good) neighbourly relations, Joveva spoke in Macedonian, which she said was in honour of her late mother, as well as because she wanted to once again condemn Bulgaria’s behaviour loud and clear.

Joveva explained that regional cooperation is important, especially in terms of participation in initiatives such as the Open Balkans, while other joint initiatives with other Western Balkan countries also demonstrate concrete steps that benefit the daily lives of the region’s citizens.

“My country Slovenia may not be a direct neighbour, yet it has proved to be a true, committed friend of the whole region and a strong voice in the EU for ensuring that the region is not forgotten.”

Regarding relations with Bulgaria, Joveva expressed disappointment over its blockades, as they are contrary to EU law, which states that bilateral issues between countries should not be brought into the negotiating framework.

“I fear that blockades lead to absolutely nowhere… except to the opposite direction. And I refuse to see political debates and arguments spilling over into society and causing unrest among the people. Of course, there are still many challenges to be tackled, such as economic growth and the fight against corruption, but at the same time the past must not be dwelled on and abused for domestic political ends.”

After all these years of waiting, the citizens of North Macedonia deserve better, she reiterated firmly, adding her expectation that the accession negotiations will start soon and that the necessary reforms will be implemented without any setbacks, and above all without empty or broken promises – from whichever side.

In the part of the debate that focused on the media and civil society, Joveva emphasised the importance of free and independent media, quality journalism and a safe working environment for journalists. Further on, she insisted on the need for strong civil society organisations as the ‘watchdogs of democracy’.

“I would like to see more efforts aimed at making the media financially independent and more awareness raising campaigns on media literacy. After all, only free and independent journalists who are not afraid to work and report can produce quality news.”

The meeting concluded with the adoption of joint recommendations and a joint message on cooperation and support for the reforms needed to accelerate North Macedonia’s path towards full EU membership.

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”Ensuring a long and secure future for generations to come.”

MEP Irena Joveva addressed the European Parliament on Tuesday, 21 November 2023, at the Strasbourg plenary session as a rapporteur on behalf of her political group Renew Europe. She addressed the European Parliament on job creation and the associated just transition and impact investment. Among other things, she advocated for a green deal, achieving climate neutrality and committed to a sustainable and just transition: ”All of this pursues a single goal: ensuring a long and secure future for generations to come”.

Joveva stressed that the European Union has adopted a number of legislative acts to preserve the environment, adding that job creation must also be preserved and protected. The MEP believes that there is a lot of potential for a green transition, though it will also require concerted support for all workers to take advantage of the opportunities of a just transition through ”appropriate education, training and the acquisition of new skills”.

”Above all, we must not forget the regions based on heavy industry, which will be the most affected during the transition, thus bringing insecurity to many Europeans. At this point, I would like to say to people that, with this report, we are laying the foundations for replacing the existing situation with better working conditions, a cleaner environment and, last but not least, a better life.’‘

BACKGROUND:

The transition to a climate-neutral economy offers both great potential and challenges for job creation, although it requires a coordinated policy response. Given its broad scope and interlinkages, it not only covers social and employment policies, but also industry, energy, economic and environmental policies. MEPs point to the need to support workers in sectors whose jobs urgently need to change in order to achieve climate neutrality, and to manage the transition in a way that will improve living and working conditions without increasing existing inequalities.

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