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Slovenia is still the only one without an official candidate proposal for the new European Commission

by AI | 13.Sep 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Slovenia has not yet proposed a candidate for the European Commissioner, as the chairman of the parliamentary Committee on EU Affairs from the opposition SDS conditions the convening of the committee meeting, whose opinion is necessary but not binding, on obtaining all government documentation related to the resignation of the previous candidate.

The chairman of the parliamentary committee for EU affairs from the opposition SDS party Franc Breznik. Photo: Daniel Novaković

Ljubljana – In Slovenia, the appointment process of the candidate for the new European Commission has not been concluded yet, after the government proposed the former ambassador Marta Kos for the position on Monday. The government is waiting for a non-binding opinion from the parliamentary committee on EU affairs, but the committee’s chairman Franc Breznik from the opposition SDS party is conditioning the meeting on obtaining additional materials and explanations about the reasons for replacing the initial candidate Tomaž Vesel. Among them could be a letter from the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Prime Minister Robert Golob.

On Thursday, Breznik said on the show Tarča on Slovenian Television that he himself had written to the President of the European Commission. He asked her to send him the letter in which the Slovenian government was supposedly asked to replace the commission candidate Tomaž Vesel, who withdrew his candidacy on September 6. The government then proposed the former ambassador Marta Kos as the new candidate for the European Commissioner on Monday.

On Thursday, Golob said on the sidelines of the government coalition summit that the committee had received all the documentation on the basis of which the government decided on Kos, but he would not comment on confidential discussions.

There are also growing pressures on the government and the commission from some Slovenian MEPs. MEP Milan Zver (EPP/SDS) sent a request to the commission to publish all documents related to the appointment process of the Slovenian commissioner, while Romana Tomc (EPP/SDS) listed a series of objections against Kos to Euronews. Conversely, Matjaž Nemec (S&D/SD) called for support for Kos in the interest of Slovenia and its further positioning in the EU.

Von der Leyen still intends to present her future commissioner team to the European Parliament on Tuesday, as announced at the beginning of the week, despite the complications with the appointment of the new commissioner candidate from Slovenia, said the commission’s spokesperson Eric Mamer today. There is still plenty of time until Tuesday, he said. (September 13)