Did European Commissioner Vera Jourová influence a court decision making it possible for Slovenia’s Brussels-aligned government to take over the country’s public broadcaster? Top officials from the previously ruling Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), including MEP Milan Zver, believe it is quite likely that she did—and that the Commission may be trying to cover it up.
This week, the European Ombudsman Office—watchdog of the various EU institutions—called on the European Commission to provide documents relating to a 2023 visit by the apparently grotesquely mistitled Transparency Commissioner Vera Jourová to Slovenia.
In comments given exclusively to The European Conservative, MEP Zver said:
The Ombudsman’s decision marks a significant milestone in advancing the transparency of EU institutions. The opacity and questionable competence displayed by Vera Jourová are unacceptable and must not be repeated.
The Ombudsman’s request comes in response to a complaint Zver filed last month. In the complaint, Zver charges the Commission with being willfully non-transparent by refusing to release documents related to Jourová’s meeting with Matej Accetto, the president of the Slovenian Constitutional Court, in March of 2023—a meeting suspected to have paved the way for the left-globalist Slovenian government to purge all conservatives from the country’s sole public broadcaster.
Peter Šuhel, the International Secretary of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), says that the move flagrantly violated the constitution, and slammed the Commission for the radically different standards it applies to national governments ruled by conservatives, like Hungary’s, and those governed by its globalist allies, like Slovenia’s.
“If former Prime Minister Janša’s government did anything of the like, the European Commission immediately would have initiated Article 7 proceedings,” Šuhel told The European Conservative.
Zver accuses the Commission of “deliberately stalling to prevent Jourová from being held accountable for her actions” before her term ends in May 2024.
As The European Conservative previously reported, Zver first submitted a request to the Commission for access to the documents on March 7, 2023, following public outcry over the near coincidence of Jourová’s visit with the Court’s decision. Two months later, the Commission responded by sending a heavily redacted report on Jourová’s mission that failed to provide any of the information requested.
Zver then immediately submitted an application for the release of the unredacted report, meeting notes between Jourová and Accetto, internal communications within the Commission’s offices about the visit, and internal communications within Jourová’s office about the visit.
Over the next nine months, the European Commission extended the deadline to respond to the request for information four times, in violation of EU regulations on public access to European Commission documents. MEP Zver therefore brought the issue before the Ombudsman.
In addition to calling on the Commission to produce the documents requested no later than January 29th, the Ombudsman’s Office also states that it will review all internal EU Commission documents that fall within the scope of Jourová’s meeting with the President of the Slovenian Constitutional Court.
This suggests that it, too, views the Commission’s behavior as a potential case of maladministration.
Commenting to The European Conservative, MEP Zver said:
It is imperative that the Commission adheres to this ruling by disclosing all relevant internal documents, particularly the memo from Jourova’s mission to Slovenia. Such transparency is crucial to dispel any doubts about her influence over the Constitutional Court’s decision. Rest assured, I am fully committed to obtaining these documents, even if it necessitates legal action against Vera Jourova.
Šuhel, who served as the chief of staff to former Prime Minister Janez Janša, highlighted the speed with which the Ombudsman responded to MEP Zver’s complaint.
“The severity of the transgressions by Jourová and the Commission were such that the Ombudsman swiftly intervened, taking less than a month to mandate the publication of the pertinent documents,” Šuhel told The European Conservative. “This development is a significant triumph for Milan Zver, vividly illustrating his unwavering dedication to transparency.”
