In a context already very tense in relations between East and West in the European Union, the nationalist Prime Minister Janez Jansa warned yesterday that the very strength of the community building is at risk due to a double standard in the treatment of European countries as well as different on the common values among the Twenty-seven. The stance came as the figure of the 62-year-old Slovenian premier raises concerns in the ranks of the European establishment.
In the aftermath of a difficult meeting between the Slovenian government and the European Commission, the prime minister wanted to meet a group of Brussels journalists in a congress center outside Ljubljana, visiting the country on the occasion of the inauguration of the Slovenian presidency of the Union. (see yesterday’s Il Sole 24 Ore). The press conference lasted two hours, including the screening of a video in which the government actually denounced the existence in Slovenia of a partisan press.
Loading…
Asked about his close relations with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, at the head of a self-declared illiberal democracy, Janez Jansa replied: «I met Orbán when he was fighting for democracy in his country. I really appreciate what he has done for Hungary. Today he has every right to express himself on how he sees the future of Europe. If the European Union began to leave aside those who do not think the same way, it would risk shrinking ”.
A Hungarian law banning the representation and promotion of homosexuality among young people has been criticized at the European level. Meeting in Brussels last week, many heads of state publicly blamed her. Jansa himself and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki remained defending Viktor Orbán. “The foundations of a European civilization exist, but to think that there are values common to all Twenty-seven is an illusion,” the Slovenian premier said yesterday.
The politician is a controversial figure on the European scene. He became prime minister for the third time in 2020, leading a coalition and minority government. A former journalist, he was imprisoned by the Yugoslav authorities in the 1980s and then by the Slovenian authorities in 2014. In the latter case, he was released after being cleared of having received bribes from the Minister of Defense. He never hid his admiration for former US President Donald Trump.