By: Sara Kovač
Janez Janša’s written message is state-forming from the point of view of the EU and patriotic from the point of view of Slovenia’s national interest: Slovenians expect that the epidemic and its effects on the economy and public finances will soon come to an end. The Slovenian initiative has a good chance to reason with the rebellious veto authors and the rest of the EU, which has no choice but to follow the tradition of smart compromises that have contributed to the existence and development of the EU as the cultural and political, if not the economic center of the world,” comments the former constitutional judge and intellectual dr. Peter Jambrek on Janez Janša’s letter to European leaders. Jambrek also believes that Janez Janša’s message is an independent contribution to the political philosophy of the Ljubljana Initiative, the first signatory of which is President of Slovenia.
The letter from Prime Minister Janez Janša was met with great general response in the media, and the reactions were expected, stereotypical and without serious professional analysis. The aim was to denigrate the otherwise important and state-forming initiative of Slovenian Prime Minister.
We asked Peter Jambrek, a professor of legal sciences, a former constitutional judge, a Slovenian intellectual and the author of numerous books, for a comment. He told us that the first impression of the reader of the letter is freshness, immediacy, personal motivation and vision, as well as good English, which emphasizes the personal statesmanship of the writer. “Unlike some comments published in the Slovenian media, the prevailing impression is that the Slovenian statesman has no intention of intervening in the dispute between the EU and the two countries that gave a constitutionally valid veto to the July EU decision on financial assistance to member states to overcome the health crisis. He has no intention of being their lawyer or to join them.”
It is an important contribution to the political philosophy of the Ljubljana Initiative
According to Jambrek, Janša is trying to determine the dimensions of the current multifaceted EU crisis in the light of the German Chancellor’s slip in the summer of 2015, the UK’s withdrawal, urgent changes in the world order between the superpowers, not to mention the security problems of terrorism at the heart of the Western civilization. “In this context, Janez Janša emphasizes the importance of consensus and unity between nations, people and EU member states for resolving the mother of all its crises – today’s pandemic with all its social, economic and political effects.”
Jambrek notes that Slovenian Prime Minister, with state consideration, expressed that it is wise to seek a solution based on two fundamental value decisions: strict protection of the EU’s external borders and resolute defence of any freedom within the borders of our wider European homeland, including the respect of sovereignty of states. “Pro domo sua would therefore consider Janez Janša’s current message an independent contribution to the political philosophy of the Ljubljana Initiative, the first signatory of which is President of Slovenia,” Jambrek said, adding that Janez Janša’s written message was state-forming from the point of view of the EU and patriotic from the point of view of Slovenia’s national interest: “Slovenians expect that the epidemic and its effects on the economy and public finances will soon come to an end. The Slovenian initiative has a good chance to reason with the rebellious veto authors and the rest of the EU, which has no choice but to follow the tradition of smart compromises that have contributed to the existence and development of the EU as the cultural and political, if not the economic center of the world.”