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Strasbourg/Ljubljana – President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has allocated the enlargement portfolio to Slovenian candidate Marta Kos in the new composition of the commission’s team. According to Prime Minister Robert Golob, this is evidence that “Slovenia is valued and respected in the international community.” The nomination procedure for Kos is expected to be completed in the coming days. The chairman of the parliamentary committee on EU affairs from the opposition SDS party Franc Breznik has called an urgent committee meeting for Wednesday afternoon. Although the opinion of the committee is non-binding for the government, it is required before the official submission of the nomination to Brussels.
“Slovenia is taking on a responsible task. It has been entrusted with the key to ensuring stability and peace in our immediate neighborhood and beyond, and how to contribute to the stabilization of both the Western Balkans and the eastern neighborhood with the help of the European idea,” Golob said on the X network. In a later statement to the media, he said that “the added value that we bring to this portfolio is our success story over the past 20 years” and described the assigned portfolio as a “historic achievement.”
Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon welcomed the allocation of the enlargement portfolio in the new European Commission as a great recognition for Slovenia. She is confident that Slovenia can prove itself very well in managing this portfolio in the coming years of the commission’s work.
MEPs from Slovenia are mostly satisfied that the President of the European Commission has allocated the enlargement portfolio to Kos. MEPs from the EPP group are critical of the process in Slovenia.
On Wednesday afternoon, the parliamentary committee on EU affairs will also discuss the government’s proposal for Kos’s nomination, after its chairman Breznik conditioned the convening of the session on obtaining all documents regarding the resignation of the previous candidate Tomaž Vesel, including a letter from von der Leyen on September 5 to Prime Minister Golob. He confirmed that he had received this letter from the government today.
As revealed in the letter, which was published on the X network by the president of the opposition SDS party Janez Janša, the President of the European Commission wrote, among other things, that the original Slovenian candidate for European Commissioner Vesel did not have the appropriate competences for the position in the European Commission and proposed his replacement. Breznik accused Golob today of lying to the public that Vesel had resigned on his own and was also critical of von der Leyen, highlighting accusations of non-transparency in her actions. (September 17)