By: Peter Jančič (Spletni časopis)
For next week on Thursday, Franc Breznik (SDS) has called a session of the European Affairs Committee, where the candidate for European Commissioner, Tomaž Vesel, will be presented.
Among the interesting points of the candidacy is that, due to privacy protection, Vesel’s CV, which was sent by the government, was not published in parliament. This concealed a number of facts that are undoubtedly of public interest, such as that he worked for FIFA (the world football organisation) as a side job while he was the head of the Court of Audit, earning several times more there than domestically. It is also noteworthy that Vesel was most recently employed in the conglomerate of waste management and media companies owned by Martin Odlazek. Odlazek’s media are known for their strong support and propaganda for centre-left parties and for being a means to criticise SDS and Janez Janša. The most propagandist part is the portal Necenzurirano, which is promoted and cited by Odlazek’s other media outlets. They did this during election campaigns and contributed to the victory of Robert Golob’s Gibanje Svoboda party in the last parliamentary elections. At that time, we could observe quite unambiguous propaganda messages, which were officially considered journalistic products and thus were not subject to the restrictions that the law imposes on campaign financing. Among Odlazek’s media companies is also the daily Večer, where journalists have been laid off in recent days. Primož Cirman and Vesna Vuković, who briefly served as the Secretary-General of Svoboda after the last elections, are almost synonymous with Necenzurirano.
Vesel was chosen as the candidate for European Commissioner by the head of the Gibanje Svoboda, Golob, even before the European elections, and the announcement of the candidacy surprised even his own coalition partners.
The situation became complicated after the elections when Ursula von der Leyen called on countries to propose female candidates in addition to male ones, in order to form a gender-balanced commission. Our government rejected the call for gender balance and decided that Vesel would be both the male and female candidate.
What is so private in the CV of the candidate for European Commissioner that it is being concealed?
Because I believe that the public has the right to know the detailed CV of the candidate, I specifically requested it from the government and the National Assembly. Thus:
“Dear Sir/Madam,
Among the materials in parliament is the government’s proposal for the candidacy of Tomaž Vesel as a member of the European Commission (number: 54204-15/2024/4), which includes the candidate’s CV as an attachment, but this document cannot be found among the materials published in the National Assembly. Please send me this document (CV), as I believe the public has the right to know the professional background and experience of the candidate for such an important position.
Respectfully,
Peter Jančič
Editor-in-Chief
Spletni časopis”
The CV, which was published by then-President Janez Drnovšek over two decades ago when he proposed Vesel for the position of Deputy President of the Court of Audit, indicates that this information is not of a private nature or a state secret.
The parliament, even after an additional request, insisted that the information in the CV is of a private nature and cannot be presented to the public. They stated: “The CV, which is attached to the candidacy proposal, is not publicly published on the National Assembly’s website because it contains personal information and must be handled in accordance with the regulations that define the protection of personal data.”
The government responded differently, sending me a CV from which they removed what they considered private information. This might include details such as the fact that he was born in 1967, or information about his family life and gardening. He is the author of the book Beautiful Gardens of Slovenia and co-author of the book Perennials for All Seasons. “I have one of the most interesting gardens, I am educated in horticulture,” he told me over a decade ago when I was writing about him for the newspaper Delo.
The full CV, seemingly without private elements, as it was sent to me, is as follows:
“Surname: Vesel
First name: Tomaž
Education
Institution (from – to)
Level of education achieved
Law Faculty, Ljubljana University
Years: 1993 – 1997
Bachelor of Science in law
Faculty of Law, University of Maribor
Doctoral study of European economic law
Ministry of Finance/Court of Audit
Certified state auditor
Languages
– English: Professional proficiency
– German: Proficient
– Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian: Professional proficiency
– French: Intermediate proficiency
Competencies
– Strategic management
– Financial auditing
– Crisis management
– Public sector management
– Supervisory management
– Operational efficiency
– International relations
– Change management
– Policy development
– Public speaking and communication
Extensive international experience
Country/Organisation
From – to
ILO – International Training Centre, Italy – preparation of training course
1999 – 2000
Cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and governments (Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Albania, Moldova, etc.) – consulting
2001 – 2008
SIGMA – intellectual services
2005 – 2021
Cooperation with OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) – consulting
2006 – 2017
European Union Twinning Projects – Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia
2008 – 2015
GIZ – German Corporation for International Cooperation – consulting
2010 – 2011
INTOSAI (International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions)
EUROSAI (European Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions)
INTOSAI, EUROSAI – Active participation in international conferences and round tables
Committees and working groups of INTOSAI –
Committee on Professional Standards, Subcommittee on Performance Audit, Capacity Building Committee, Working Group on IT Audit, Working Group on Environmental Audit, Working Group on Public Procurement Audit
EUROSAI – Working Group on IT Audit, Working Group on Environmental Audit, Working Group on Audit and Ethics
Contact Committee of EU Supreme Audit Institutions
Working Group CC EU – Working Groups on Structural Funds, Public Sector Accounting, Fiscal Policy Audit, European Banking Union, EPSAS (European Public Sector Audit Standards)
2006 – 2022
EU Contact Committee of Supreme Audit Institutions of the European Union
2008 – 2022
FIFA – International Football Federation
Chairman of the Audit and Compliance Committee
Chairman of the Compensation Subcommittee
Chairman of the Working Group on Bid Evaluation for FIFA World Cup 2026
2016 – 2021
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Loss and Damage Fund – COP 27/28
2024
Overview of professional experience
Years (from – to)
Company
Position
Description
1997
Centre of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Informatics
Consultant for the implementation of public procurement
Preparation of tender documentation, legal services
1998 – 2000
Court of Auditors
Auditor
Diverse audit experience including performance audit and environmental audit
2000 – 2004
National Audit Commission
Deputy President
Public procurement audit procedures
2004 – 2013
Court of Auditors
First Deputy President
State auditor
2013 – 2022
Court of Auditors
President
State auditor
2022 – today
Eurofit Ltd.
Salomon Ltd.
Director
Procurator
Corporate management of the holding company
Publications and presentations
1997 – 2002: Author of more than 30 articles in the field of auditing and over 20 articles in other legal fields (commercial law, administrative law, concessions, local self-government, EU law, environmental law, etc.).
2004 – 2022: Author of several books on audit law, public procurement, and European law:
– Decisions of the National Audit Commission, 631 pages
– Public Procurement, Conditions, and Criteria, 287 pages
– European Law, 891 pages
– Public Procurement Act with Commentary, 1083 pages
– Cases of the Court of Justice of the European Union, 900 pages
– Court of Audit – Audit Manual, 300 pages
– Performance Audit Manual, 55 pages – multiple authors
– Environmental Audit Manual, 50 pages – multiple authors
2004 – 2022: Lecturer at numerous international and domestic conferences, seminars and workshops on public procurement, performance audit, financial control mechanism, state or internal audit, concessions, environmental law, founding member of the School of European Law in Ljubljana.
Key Specific Experiences
Tomaž Vesel graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana in 1997. He continued his education in 2007 with postgraduate studies in European economic law at the Faculty of Law, University of Maribor, where he prepared his doctoral dissertation. In addition to holding titles of state auditor and certified state auditor, he also trained and educated abroad.
He began his professional career in 1997 at the Government Centre for Informatics of the Republic of Slovenia and continued from 1999 to 2004 as a member of the National Audit Commission of the Republic of Slovenia. At the end of 2003, he was elected as the first Deputy President of the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia, a function he performed from February 1st, 2004, to February 1st, 2013, when he was appointed as the Chief State Auditor in the department for auditing non-economic public services. In 2013, he was appointed as the Chief State Auditor and President of the Court of Audit. After his career in the public sector, he continued his work in the private sector as the General Director of a large holding company.
Tomaž Vesel is the author of numerous professional articles and has participated as a lecturer at various lectures in Slovenia and abroad. His significant role includes the establishment of auditing public procurement, concessions, and the execution of audits of institutions in the Republic of Slovenia. He has in-depth knowledge of public procurement, concessions, the management of tangible and financial assets in the public sector, state aid, EU law, and governance structures. As an undisputed expert in areas crucial for executing the audit authority of the Court of Audit, he has also collaborated with international organisations. He served as an external expert for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for preparing reports and providing external assistance to developing countries in the field of public finance and public administration.
His rich international experience is associated with several major international organisations and institutions, mainly the EU, OECD, INTOSAI, UN, EUROSAI, and FIFA. He actively participates in performing supervisory, advisory, or supervisory roles. With the exception of the EU, these organisations operated worldwide, especially in the FIFA Audit and Compliance Committee, where he played a leading role in establishing key governance reforms and significantly contributed to the allocation and flow of development funds globally, ensuring the establishment of appropriate control mechanisms.
As the President of the FIFA supervisory body, he played a leading role in ensuring complete autonomy, developing eligibility criteria, and creating policies and procedures to ensure transparent and accountable financial management. His direct responsibilities included the compliance programme, risk assessment, and internal control system, developing accounting policies and principles of financial reports, human rights, environmental protection, gender equality, handling cases of alleged non-compliance, and overseeing several FIFA institutions (Forward 2.0, COVID-19 Relief Plan, etc.) with over two billion released funds.
As the Chief Auditor of Slovenia, CEO of a large company, and Chairman of the independent FIFA committee, he gained practical experience in assisting developing countries and providing essential support based on grants, operationalising financing agreements, overseeing operations and administration, reviewing and approving budget execution and audits, developing policies and procedures to establish appropriate safeguards and effective fiduciary standards, and overseeing grants and favourable loans. Recently, he has also been involved in the preparation of the UN Loss and Damage Fund, a new financing arrangement to assist developing countries particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change in responding to losses and damage.
Drnovšek’s description of Vesel’s career in 2003:
“Proposing Tomaž Vesel, a university graduate in law, as the deputy president of the Court of Audit, who was nominated for a member of the Court of Audit by the Law Society of Ljubljana. Born on June 30th, 1967, he began his professional career at the Government Centre for Informatics, later worked as an auditor at the Court of Audit from 1997 until early 2000 when he assumed the role of a member of the National Audit Commission for reviewing public procurement procedures, where for the last two years he has served as the deputy president of the National Audit Commission. The Law Society believes that the proposed candidate is an undisputed expert in fields important for the execution of the Court of Audit’s authority, notably public procurement, concessions, and the management of tangible and financial assets in the public sector. He actively collaborates with several international organisations (OECD, OSCE…). His affinity for EU law is noteworthy, as he deepens his knowledge through postgraduate studies in EU economic law and participates in the School of European Law as a lecturer and member of the programme council. He is distinguished by his knowledge of the procedures and content of various programmes for obtaining EU funds, which is of extreme importance for the upcoming budget periods in the Republic of Slovenia. Additionally, within the framework of the Ljubljana Law Society, the proposed candidate leads the section for international economic law.”
The government proposal, published among parliamentary materials, for Vesel to become our candidate for the European Commissioner, does not include an attached CV, citing “privacy”, which the DZ also insists upon.