By: C. R.
In SDS, at today’s filing of the candidate list for the European elections, they assessed that these will be a battle for the European Union, much like the one Slovenia entered 20 years ago. “With a strong list of candidates, SDS contributes its best efforts in this fight for Europe. We count on achieving our fourth consecutive victory in these elections,” said party leader Janez Janša.
“We are a party of cooperation, not a party of exclusion, and our fight for a better Europe will be just that,” promised MEP and list leader Romana Tomc (EPP/SDS) at the filing of the list.
Following her will be MEP Milan Zver (EPP/SDS), SDS Vice President Aleš Hojs, SDS MPs Franc Breznik and Branko Grims, former Mayor of Maribor Franc Kangler, former State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Alenka Forte, and members of the party’s youth wing Karin Planinšek and Zala Tomašič.
“On the list are candidates who will fight for a free Europe of equal opportunities, for a Europe of equal standards, and for a strong Europe that will serve the people. We will prioritise cooperation and collaborate with all pro-European forces who seek a good and successful future for the European Union,” emphasised Romana Tomc.
SDS is banking on victory in this year’s European elections as well. According to Janša, a good result for the party would be an improvement from five years ago when the joint SDS and SLS list won three parliamentary mandates.
The SDS leader also assessed today that with the current mandate of the European Parliament coming to an end simultaneously with the 20th anniversary of Slovenia’s accession to the EU, it is an appropriate time for reflection. He believes that the EU has fulfilled many of the expectations of Slovenes but has also deviated in many areas. Therefore, according to him, the fight in the June European elections will be a fight to steer the EU in the direction it was heading 20 years ago. Among the key points, he highlighted a high level of protection of human rights, the sovereignty of member states, and a common broader framework of security, prosperity, democracy, and protection of the European way of life.
Regarding the future path of the SDS within the EPP, he emphasised that there will be no majority in the future composition of the European Parliament without the EPP, and a repeat of the majority in a similar composition to the current one is not an option. “The majority view is that a more balanced coalition is needed, in any case, at least one more partner from the right side of the political spectrum,” he added, asserting that SDS will also advocate for this. According to him, the key dilemmas in seeking the future majority will be the green transition and migration management, with prudence being the key word.
The State Election Commission will decide on the validity of the submitted list of candidates at Thursday’s session. The deadline for filing candidate lists expires on May 10th, and so far, all parliamentary parties have done so, as well as SLS and Vesna.