By Sara Bertoncelj
“The division of the Member States of the European Union into core countries and others is non-European. Exclusive,” stressed Prime Minister Janez Janša. The MEP and proud successor of the League of Communists wrote that good relations with the core countries of the European Union are of key importance for Slovenia. On Twitter, many wondered if the core state was a new term for first-class countries that second-class countries should worship. “Why again? Namely, I still live in the illusion that the countries are equal within the EU,” wrote Liberalec.
The leader of the Social Democrats, Tanja Fajon, was not worried this time, but praised herself with a pleasant chat. She chatted with German Ambassador Natalie Kauther and French Ambassador Florence Ferrari about current political developments and expectations before the presidency of the EU Council. “Good relations with the core countries of the European Union are of key importance for Slovenia,” she wrote. What does the phrase core state even mean? Does it suggest that some EU members are worth more than others? Do we automatically put ourselves in the basket of the inferior with this naming? In Fajon’s case, her inclination towards an exclusive policy is often shown, even though she always talks about cooperation, solidarity, and equality. The proud successor of the Communists probably still lives in the belief that all countries in the European Union are equal, some are just more equal than others.
“The division of the Member States of the European Union into core countries and others is non-European. Exclusive. Contrary to the EU Treaty. We meet it only in Slovenia. With the remains of breeders of former slavish attitude towards Belgrade. Slovenia is completely equal and looks at everyone else in the same way,” wrote Prime Minister Janez Janša. Lojze Peterle once said that with this demonization they are obscuring intellectual climates and concepts when they say that Slovenia is moving away from core Europe. “We are part of a core Europe, as a country with a Central European identity,” he stressed, adding that declaring Viktor Orban a totalitarian was nonsense, as he was one of Europe’s most successful leaders. This division into core and non-core EU countries has started to appear recently, when our left wants to show that Slovenia is moving away from the EU and approaching Visegrad – which is considered bad, although this is also not necessarily so. We often hear the German-French train mentioned in the same context, “but we were never very passionately invited to this train,” said dr. Dimitrij Rupel while emphasising: “Otherwise, our friendship with Central European countries and the German-French train are not even mutually exclusive – this is the same story.”