Speeches

Mr. President! If you criticize, attacks follow. If there is no subordination, destruction follows. If you're not with this government, you have to leave. If you are not theirs, be careful. Yes, I am talking about the current situation in Slovenia. In the case of Poland and Hungary, however, we have seen that such a deviation from democratic norms transcends national frameworks and becomes a problem for the Union. It is true that the current Slovenian government has recently yielded to pressure. They released STA funding after nearly a year of manipulation. They took note of the names of the European Delegated Prosecutors after more than a year of legal farce. But don't let that fool you. All this problem is not solved, it is not known what will happen next year, and with prosecutors, the government is still making fun of independent institutions with its decisions on temporaryity and even some new legislative proposals. This indulgence is therefore only an escalation of pressure elsewhere. The prosecution, the judiciary, the police, the media, non-governments, independent regulatory agencies are trying to subordinate, silence, smear. By all means. Behind the alleged pluralism lies the destruction of institutions, behind conspiracy theories about the Communists there is clientelism and corruption. This is not a defence of traditional values. That's their negation. For the sake of the rich democratic tradition and integrity of individuals, our institutions have abstained so far. But how much longer? Where are the concrete responses? When will you learn that the situation in one Member State affects the whole Union?