By: casnik.si
“There is nothing wrong if an individual in the Republic of Slovenia earns well, but in the public sector you are in the mission of the institution you lead, so by the nature of things this kind of behaviour is not compatible with the nature of the institution we call the Court of Audit,” commented a Slovenian professor from the European Law Faculty and European studies in a show Intervju with Jože Možina regarding the part-time work of the President of the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia at the FIFA International Football Association, where he earns €250,000 gross per year. You can watch the conversation today at 20.55 on the 1st channel of RTV SLO.
Dr. Matej Avbelj, one of the most distinguished Slovenian lawyers, who has a great reputation due to numerous professional publications abroad, will be the guest of dr. Jože Možina, host of the show Intervju, tonight at 20.55. He has already published several professional books at prestigious foreign publishing houses, which deal with the most current legal dilemmas. He received his education in New York, Florence, and Germany. He is now a lecturer in European law and rector of the New University.
Among other things, Avbelj touched upon the attempt to change the government, estimating that a candidate with such a political reputation, which is complicit in the failure of the arbitration agreement with Croatia, would not have a chance in mature democracies.
Tomaž Vesel’s actions cast doubt on the independence and professionalism of the Court of Audit
When asked about the synchronisation of the public presentation of the Court of Audit’s report on the purchase of protective equipment by filing a no confidence vote, the interlocutor assessed that the Court of Audit, through the conduct of the current President, who has also replaced the Deputy in order to present the report as soon as possible, has raised doubts on the independence and professionalism of this body, which is now accused of being merely a tool of political struggle. “As such, we do not need it,” points out Avbelj, who additionally comments on the inadmissible practice of part-time work of the President of the Court of Audit: “There is nothing wrong if an individual in the Republic of Slovenia earns well, but in the public sector you are in the mission of the institution you lead, so by the nature of things this kind of behaviour is not compatible with the nature of the institution we call the Court of Audit.”
“The crisis due to the epidemic has brought ‘all the worst’ in our nation to the surface”
Matej Avbelj is convinced that the current crisis due to the epidemic has brought “all the worst” in our nation: “We have become divided, we have radicalised, we have left professional standards to what pays off, we have completely deviated from the principles of civility. In a democratic society, if it is to prosper in the long run, it is still necessary to strengthen the dialogue that will connect people and strengthen the centrality in society. It is about strengthening the middle where the common values of citizens will overlap and which will then pull this cart forward. This was not done by politics, it was not done by the media and I am afraid that it was not even done by those media that are most qualified to do so – and this is, of course, a public, national RTV service.”
When asked by the host whether his colleagues at RTV, according to him, were not sufficiently connecting or reassuring, Dr. Avbelj replied: “It is not about reassurance, it is about professionalism. It is about advocating for the truth and it is about strengthening the central core of the republic. … If you have watched German television, they have told about those who protest radically on the streets, for those that everything is wrong: that they are basically extremists, that they are radicals. They said nicely what it is about, what are the challenges, what are the most important answers and how we should behave in order to overcome this crisis with minimum injuries, in order to continue to live normally. But we were here, in Slovenia, in this bubble of ours, witnessing the hysterical, often extremely fan reporting, not to say, propaganda.”