By: Edvard Kadič
I am not at all happy about her confirmation of the new mandate at the helm of the European Commission (EC). Today’s Europe with her policies is rapidly sinking. The decisions of the EC, which she (again) leads, seem like deliberate steps away from reason and progress, which have built our civilisation over centuries. Europe, which was once synonymous with scientific and cultural achievements, is today drowning in bureaucratic restrictions that stifle innovation and free enterprise. Prohibitions and restrictions are piling up one after the other, as if their goal is to destroy everything that made Europe great. From absurd regulations on straws and bottle caps, which have become symbols of grotesque bureaucracy, to policies that destroy energy independence by shutting down nuclear power plants instead of seeking balanced and realistic solutions to the energy crisis.
Europe has always been a space of freedom and progress, a beacon that attracted the greatest minds from all corners of the world. Today, however, this beacon is extinguishing under the weight of policies that prefer to accept those who do not value European values and achievements. Migration policy, which cannot distinguish between those who wish to contribute to our society and those who wish to exploit it, has become Europe’s Achilles’ heel. Instead of building a new future on the best traditions of our past, it seems we are transforming into a world that abandons its roots and embraces chaos and regression.
Europe needs leadership that can recognise and preserve what makes us unique, while also bravely stepping forward into the future. Instead, we have had leadership that has made decisions that are clearly leading us to ruin.
As I watch Europe sink, I cannot shake the feeling that we are losing what made us great. And in this, I see the direct responsibility of Ursula von der Leyen. If we do not act, we will continue on a path that leads to our downfall, instead of returning to the path that led us to progress and prosperity. We need a new vision, new leadership that will put Europe back on the right track.
Instead of crying and complaining about the injustice done to us by Ursula von der Leyen and, attention, by the people she will propose for commissioner positions, we must decisively step out of the shadows, demand what is ours, and politically act from the front row, among the best. Instead of passive complaining, we must show proactivity, firm determination, and a clear goal. It is important to realise that our interests are not something that will be given to us, but something we have fought for and must continue to fight for with all our might. Just as others do. But this time we have an important advantage. As the vice-president of the largest (!) political group in the European Parliament (European People’s Party, EPP), we have the Slovenian MEP from SDS, Romana Tomc. To all those who love to bash the EPP and demand the SDS leave this group, I publicly ask here: is it easier to assert your interests from the front row of the strongest group in the parliament or from the back row, where usually the whiners and complainers gather? I claim it is easier to do so from the front row than from the back.
The future of Slovenia and the European Union is largely in our hands. Therefore, it is crucial that we are ready to cooperate and connect with others and seek common solutions for common challenges. Politics is a game of interests where cold and calculating heads win. Those who can make thoughtful and strategic decisions will have the greatest influence. We must not fear competition but understand it as an opportunity to learn and improve. Our goal is to become even better, more efficient, and more prudent in our decisions. Only in this way can we ensure that Slovenia will have a strong and influential role in the European Union, which will bring benefits to all our citizens.
Ursula von der Leyen today, now that at least part of the cards of the new parliament has been shuffled, might not be such a bad choice for Slovenia as it seemed at first glance. Without the European People’s Party, she would not have been re-elected to this position, but of course, there is a price to be paid for that. In other words, if she does not subordinate herself to the party’s politics to a certain extent, her future is uncertain. In this party, as is known, we also have our people in key positions.