By: Tanja Brkić (nova24tv.si)
“Prime Minister, you know what I notice, that you have no idea what is going on, and that you are not informed about the situation,” said SDS Member of Parliament Anja Bah Žibert to Prime Minister Robert Golob, who was answering parliamentary questions today.
The National Assembly began its first regular session after the holidays today. As usual, on the first day of the session, the questions of MPs to Prime Minister Robert Golob and the ministers are in the foreground. MPs are interested in government measures and assistance to citizens after the August floods, as well as measures in response to the increased number of illegal migrations and judicial salaries.
“Prime Minister, the numbers of illegal crossings of our southern border are alarming and indicate that we have a serious security problem in Slovenia,” Anja Bah Žibert, an SDS MP began the questioning with parliamentary questions. She explained that people in the Brežice municipality rightfully expect appropriate action from the state. She emphasised that since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 40,000 unauthorised border crossings at the border with Croatia, which is 27,000 fewer than in the same period last year.
Chaotic conditions
“In the past, there might have been some families among them, but today this is no longer the case; these are young men,” Bah Žibert pointed out. The situation is equally chaotic in the asylum centre in Vič, where immigrants move freely, which is also a concern for the police. The state is obligated to protect its citizens, and it is unacceptable that they live in fear, she said, and asked Golob how he intends to curb illegal border crossings and protect our citizens.
Premier Robert Golob responded by stating that “the European Union has been addressing this issue at various levels for several months, and the right-wing centre is exploiting people’s fear for political gain,” as if the media were not reporting increasing criminal activities by illegal migrants. He acknowledged that the numbers highlighted by Bah Žibert are indeed true but argued that migration is part of today’s reality, as it has always been. He claimed that most migrants crossed the border “by road, even though the fence has not been removed there.” He further emphasised that greater effectiveness in curbing illegal migration will require cooperation with Croatia and other Balkan countries. “You cannot stop a wave because it is already too late when migrants are at the borders,” he said, citing Italy and the island L as an example, where thousands of migrants are making headlines.
Bah Žibert: The fence is there, but there are gates that are unlocked, and you are not aware of it?
Anja Bah Žibert emphasised once again that the numbers are what convey the chaotic situation, and that numbers are facts. She read an account from one of the residents of the village of Rigonce, which vividly describes the horrifying state of the village and calls for action from the state. “We are afraid for our children, even if they are in our own yard. Where are our rights? What kind of coalition demand is this? No one asked us whether we want the fence or not. How can someone who has never seen a group of migrants decide about it?” was one of the points highlighted in the resident’s question. Golob responded that the fence there had not been removed but that there were still 24,000 crossings right there. He argued that the problem is “elsewhere”, and that the responsibility lies with the actions of the European Union.
“Mr. Prime Minister, do you know what I observe? I observe that you have no idea what is happening and that you are not informed about the situation,” responded MP Anja Bah Žibert. She emphasised that both wire and panel fences exist near Rigonce, which have gates that are unlocked. “But you are not aware of this,” she said, and added that the police, which can no longer cope, is also pointing this out. “They want to introduce ankle monitors, to which you did not respond how you will help.” Bah Žibert highlighted all the measures taken by neighbouring countries to ensure the safety of their citizens while our government claims it is “scaring people”.
Vrtovec: We are taxing people on reserve
The second parliamentary question to the Prime Minister was posed by the New Slovenia MP Jernej Vrtovec and concerned government measures following the August floods. Vrtovec demanded Golob’s clarification on the planned changes in watercourse management, as well as a potential increase in the average municipality revenue, to help municipalities deal with the consequences of the floods. He also inquired about the direction of thinking regarding the standard construction of houses for residents who lost everything in the devastating floods. While he praised the way funds were being raised to help flood victims, he also stated, “It hurts that we are excessively taxing people for something we do not even know how we will collect and how we will actually use this money.” He called for a damage assessment and assistance to municipalities.
Golob: We are not making promises, we are providing money
Golob dismissed Vrtovec’s accusation that people were being taxed before a final assessment of the damage caused by the August floods, stating that the total cost of recovery, reconstruction, and creating conditions for further development amounted to around 6.7 billion euros. However, this figure was not a direct assessment of the damage incurred. He mentioned that in the coming weeks, over 640 million euros in direct payments from the budget were expected to be allocated to individuals, businesses, and municipalities. He said, “Never before has so much money been paid out so quickly. We are not making promises; we are providing money.” Despite his claim of efficient decision-making and disbursements, individuals have yet to receive payments.
The Prime Minister announced additional assistance later this week and emphasised the help of the call centre, which we reported has no information beyond what is publicly available online (and even that information is quite unclear and confusing). Golob claimed to have constant dialogue with municipalities and ruled out raising the average funding for them. He stated, “We will not throw money around indiscriminately.” Meanwhile, people will need temporary accommodation over the winter, and if they are in distress, they can turn to the government or contact the call centre at the telephone number 114, according to Golob.
Hoivik: Golob prioritises judges and prosecutors over flood victims
SDS MP Andrej Hoivik asked a question regarding statements by judges about judicial salaries. One of the coalition commitments is that we want to live in a rule-of-law state, which is why we entered politics, because we want to live in a democratic and open rule-of-law state where we will talk about things and reward people for their merits, Golob said, promising a reform of the public pay system that, according to him, will be transparent and comprehensive.
“So, if I understand correctly, judges will have higher salaries starting December 1st, 2023, regardless of the fact that there are over twenty unimplemented decisions by the Constitutional Court, so you are giving priority to your ‘happy ending’, which seems to be coming for judges and prosecutors, while teachers, firefighters, and police officers will have to wait for five years. The reconstruction of Slovenia is supposed to last for five years,” highlighted MP Hoivik, who accused Golob of giving priority to the judiciary, regardless of all obstacles. He also mentioned the ongoing inflation. While previous coalitions published or provided the full coalition agreements to the media, the current ruling coalition has only published its programmatic part. When the media requested the section that determines the protocol of cooperation between coalition partners and the organisation of the government, the government decided that this part of the document is internal. This raises questions about what the current coalition is hiding and doubts about whether it was serious about its promises of transparency, which Hoivik also accused Golob of at the end.
The National Assembly will also discuss legislative proposals on the reimbursement of fines for violating unconstitutional COVID decrees, animal protection, mental health, and the transformation of Vzajemna insurance company.
