European Union braces for Slovenia's unorthodox presidency

Slovenia takes over the European Union presidency with its Prime Minister Janez Jansa in the focus because of his squabbles with Brussels, alliance with populist Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and increasingly autocratic policies

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Slovenia takes over the European Union presidency with its prime minister in the focus because of his squabbles with Brussels, close alliance with populist Hungarian leader Viktor Orban and increasingly autocratic policies which cast doubt on the small country’s credibility to lead the 27-nation bloc. Although the rotating six-month EU Council presidency, which Slovenia assumes from Portugal on Thursday, is mostly a bureaucratic task, it comes amid the bloc’s painful post-COVID-19 recovery, the stalled EU enlargement process and concerns that the leadership role could be used by the government to further obstruct media freedoms in Slovenia and elsewhere in Europe. In May, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa narrowly survived an impeachment motion in the Slovenian parliament filed by opposition parties which accused him of clamping down on the press and mismanaging the pandemic by failing to provide enough vaccines for the picturesque Alpine state of about 2 million people. The country at the EU helm prepares meeting agendas and calendars. It’s expected to put national politics aside and play the role of an “honest broker” with the aim of fostering agreements between EU member states.