On Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Slovenian Member of the European Parliament Irena Joveva took part in a plenary debate on the European Commission’s progress report on North Macedonia for the years 2023 and 2024. In a powerful and emotional speech, she reminded her colleagues that the report reflects the European journey of a candidate country and its people.

At the outset, Joveva emphasized that the purpose of the report is to monitor the progress of a candidate country that has, throughout its accession process, faced repeated instances of unjustified conditionality, political blockades, and disrespect. Despite these obstacles, she said, the people of North Macedonia have consistently upheld the values the EU claims to champion—perhaps more so than some current member states.

She was unequivocal in stating that the report must not, under any circumstances, become a forum for debating the existence of the Macedonian nation, its language, or identity:

“While I personally support the paragraph in question and will not vote to have it removed, I must be honest with the Macedonian people: I know it hurts. It hurts me, too. But do not accept the narrative that the European Parliament has taken your identity or language from you. That is simply not true.“

Joveva went on to condemn political manipulation and populist misinterpretations that exploit sensitive issues of identity to undermine both the EU enlargement process and public trust in European institutions. “The Macedonian language is authentic. Your attempts to deny it are modern-day fiction. A national identity that has endured for centuries will not be erased by one vote or your lobbying.”

She concluded her speech by reminding that the Macedonian nation does not need anyone else’s permission to exist.

Foto/EP: Brigitte HASE

On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, Member of the European Parliament Irena Joveva took part in a plenary session of the European Parliament during a debate on the growing threat of instability in the Middle East following escalating Israeli-Iranian military tensions, the review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, and the genocide in Gaza. Joveva made a pointed statement during the session: “It is painfully clear who poses the greatest threat to the stability of the Middle East.”

“The Middle East is torn by conflict. Genocide. Suffering. Injustice—not driven by ancient rivalries, but by ongoing impunity, military aggression, and systematic denial of human rights.”

With these words, Joveva opened her address, continuing with a firm denunciation of Israel’s sustained attacks on Gaza, its devastating strikes on Lebanon, and its increasingly aggressive posture across the region. She stressed that these actions do not constitute legitimate self-defense, but are part of a deliberate pattern aimed at destabilizing the region.

Amid rising tensions with Iran, Joveva also highlighted the harmful role of the United States, particularly that of the Trump administration, whose aggressive rhetoric she said was further inflaming an already volatile situation.

She went on to call out the double standards of those who continue to justify such armed aggression under the pretext of self-defense, despite clear evidence pointing to who truly threatens regional stability. To them, she had a direct message:

“If the European Union truly wants peaceful and diplomatic solutions, then it is long past time to draw the line against this aggressor—starting with suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement and enforcing the rulings of the International Criminal Court. Immediately.”

On 6 February, MEP Irena Joveva (Renew Europe/Svoboda) took part in the debate on Russian interference in democratic processes in the European Union at the plenary session in Strasbourg. ”We cannot pretend that foreign interference in our democratic processes does not exist,” the MEP stressed in her address.

Among other things, the MEP expressed deep concern over reports of espionage against one of her MEPs. Joveva stressed the need for the European Parliament to treat the matter extremely seriously and expressed the hope that a thorough investigation would be followed by concrete measures by the competent institutions.

Nevertheless, she warned that MEPs should not deny the fact that foreign interference in democratic processes in the European Union is real.

”And the methods for doing so are increasingly sophisticated. Today’s debate is the result of information about the influence of Russian secret services on one of our colleagues, but the problem is much bigger.”

Joveva reminded those present of the Ibiza scandal, when the then leader of the Austrian Free Democrats was secretly filmed. Among similar cases, the MP also highlighted Russian loans to the French National Front Marine Le Pen, as well as reports from American intelligence agencies stating that Russia has spent at least 300 million dollars on financing various political parties around the world.

According to the MP, these controversial practices are still happening, but they do not originate only from Russia. The MP is also concerned by the fact that far-right parties are the most susceptible to these practices. As the MP emphasized, ironically, it is precisely the most nationalistic parties that are willing to act even against their own national interests.

The MP concluded her speech with a call for clarification and the setting of at least minimum standards to prevent such practices.

BACKGROUND

On January 29, the Russian investigative newspaper The Insider revealed that Latvian MEP Tatjana Zhdanoka had been working with the Russian FSB intelligence service for two decades. The officer cited emails between Zhdanoka and two Russian officials that allegedly contained detailed reports about her work in the European Parliament, particularly in terms of promoting pro-Russian sentiment in the Baltic region. Zhdanoka, who is currently an unaffiliated MEP, strongly denies the newspaper’s claims of working with the intelligence service. Her former Green/EFA political group has also launched an investigation into the allegations against Zhdanoka. Zhdanoka was also among the 13 MEPs who voted against a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.

You can watch the full video here.

Photo: EP – Alexis HAULOT

On Tuesday, 12 September 2023, MEP Irena Joveva spoke during the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg on combating the normalisation of far-right and far-left discourses including antisemitism. According to her, “normalisation leads to acceptance”, and the discourse of the opportunists, who create fear and mistrust among people for their own gain, must not be accepted or normalised: “We must not let them dictate the pace of our actions.”

Joveva began her speech by saying that she is one of the many who receive hateful comments on a daily basis, stressing that she wasn’t talking about critical comments, but vicious and dangerous ones. She is convinced that we must all take on the issue of the normalisation of radical discourse, as it is on the rise.

“Normalisation leads to acceptance. Acceptance in turn influences the perception of reality.”

She regretted that this is also the case in the European Parliament. She referred, among other things, to the European People’s Party’s deals with the far right to obstruct much-needed legislation, but above all, she said, she was referring to the “dangerous populist demagogy that is dictating the pace”.

“We ought not to normalise and accept this. They are opportunists. They create fear and mistrust among people for their own gain. Through manipulation. They use, for instance, someone’s origin to advance nationalism under the guise of patriotism.”

With that in mind, she ended her address by urging everyone in the political centre, to which she herself belongs, to reject such discourse upfront and “not to yield to the desires of extremists to influence our policies or actions”.

“Come on. Let’s set standards,” Joveva concluded.

You can watch the MEP’s speech here.