By: G. B.
Press conferences after government sessions are becoming increasingly rare. Usually, the government now sends only a statement to the public, thereby avoiding potential unpleasant questions from the media. Well, such questions usually do not arise, unless they are posed by someone from the magazine Demokracija.
The government postponed the decision on the candidate for European Commissioner, which was on the agenda today, the Government Communication Office reported after the session. As they explained, they decided to postpone because the government has not yet received notifications from EU institutions based on which they propose the candidate. The government will continue the process at the next regular session. The Gibanje Svoboda has proposed former President of the Court of Audit Tomaž Vesel as Commissioner, a candidacy also supported by the Social Democrats.
They will insist on only one candidate
Despite the call from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected last week in the European Parliament for a new five-year term, for member states to submit the name of both a male and female candidate for the commission post, Slovenia insists on one candidate. The government began considering the candidacy of the former President of the Court of Audit, who was presented as a candidate by the largest ruling party at an April party event before the European elections, in June. In June, they also announced that they would continue the process once they receive a call from the relevant EU institutions to submit the name of the commission candidate.
Before final confirmation, the government must send the candidate’s name to the National Assembly (DZ) in accordance with applicable Slovenian law, where the candidate will be presented before a working body responsible for European affairs, which will vote and give an opinion with justification. This opinion is not binding for the government. This will be followed by the candidate’s presentation in Brussels. Von der Leyen will begin interviews with commission candidates in mid-August, after which she will assign them areas of responsibility. Hearings and approvals of the candidates in the competent committees of the European Parliament are expected to take place in October or November, and the new commission could start its mandate towards the end of the year, according to STA.
Government also discussed healthcare
Today, the government also met at a regular session and discussed the principles for drafting a bill on the recognition of professional qualifications in healthcare and the principles for drafting a bill on the Institute for Medical and Other Expert Evaluation in the field of social security. “With the first law, we aim to simplify and speed up the processes of hiring foreign healthcare workers, which will contribute to a more accessible healthcare system. The second law addresses the increasing absenteeism, aiming to unify criteria for assessing work capacity and improve the maintenance of work capacity. The law will centralise the field of expertise and, through close cooperation of all stakeholders, improve the efficiency of resolving matters in the field of social security,” they stated.
At the press conference, which, of course, did not take place after the government session, we intended to ask the following:
- Prime Minister Robert Golob, as the head of the executive branch, is both objectively and subjectively responsible for the prolonged procedures of post-flood reconstruction and for the fact that the government has not been able to build even one house to this day. How do you respond to this?
- How do you comment on the fact that referrals are being quickly extended from 14 to 30 days? Is the purpose of this to conceal the actual waiting times?
- A doctor posted on X that one of the girls received a scheduled date in the first half of 2027 for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the heart for a repeat heart surgery with an issued referral with a high urgency level. How do you comment on this?
- How do you comment on the fact that doctors are leaving public healthcare institutions because they are prohibited from working in private practices?