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14 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 DECEMBER 2021 NEWS These articles are part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. These articles reflect only the authors' view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains. THE European Parliament has expressed concerns about pres- sure on the media and judiciary in Slovenia. With the centre-right Eu- ropean People's Party voting against the resolution taking Prime Minister Janez Janša's party to task, Nationalist MEP Roberta Metsola skipped the vote, an EPP spokesperson say- ing she decided not to partici- pate in votes on external mat- ters once she was chosen as the group's nominee for European Parliament president. Her colleague David Casa did not vote, while Labour MEPs Alex Agius Saliba, Josianne Cutajar and Cyrus Engerer vote in favour. Labour head of dele- gation Alfred Sant did not vote. In a resolution adopted with 356 votes for, 284 against, and 40 abstentions, MEPs declared they were deeply concerned about a "climate of hostility, distrust and deep polarisation". The vote is the conclusion of a plenary debate that previously took place in November 2021. During that plenary debate, Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer called for forward-thinking discussions on fundamental rights and the rule of law, "be it in Slovenia, Germany, Poland or in any other Member State." "It keeps us all on our toes striving to be better. It allows Member States like my own, Malta, to recognise where we can improve and make chang- es in order to reach a higher standard for all citizens. But in order to reach a higher stand- ard, we must ensure a number of safeguards are in place to protect our democracies." Engerer said the Europe- an Public Prosecutor was one such safeguard. "Although it took a much longer time than expected, the nomination of Slovenia's European Public Prosecutor is a step in the right direction, but one which could have been made much earlier." MEPs remain concerned about attacks, smear cam- paigns and SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Partic- ipation) against journalists by prominent public figures and politicians, including members of the government. They call on the government to secure sufficient funding for public television station RTV Slovenia and cease all political interfer- ence in its editorial policy. Media ownership transparen- cy was another area of concern, calling for clear rules on state and state-owned companies' advertising expenditure, and proper access to public infor- mation. In 2021, the Slovenian gov- ernment withheld the Sloveni- an News Agency's funding for its public service for 312 days. Since November, payments were made for some out- standing amounts, but at least €507,000 of claims for public service funding remain unpaid. A majority of EPP MEPs, in- cluding group leader Manfred Weber, voted against the reso- lution; they were joined by the conservative centre-right ECR. Nevertheless, 33 EPP mem- bers – including group vice chairs Esther de Lange, Franc- es Fitzgerald and Paulo Rangel – abstained, illustrating the di- vides within the group. MEPs have criticised the Eu- ropean Commission's "sub- standard" response by Ursula von der Leyen to questions sent by MEPs on Slovenia's state of rule of law. "Your lacklustre response shows clear signs of contempt for the work and po- sition of the European Parlia- ment," Dutch MEP Sophie in 't Veld said in response. Sant, Metsola, Casa abstain on Slovenia media vote opposed by EPP European Parliament expresses concerns about pressure on media and judiciary in Slovenia "It keeps us all on our toes striving to be better. It allows Member States like my own, Malta, to recognise where we can improve and make changes in order to reach a higher standard for all citizens. But in order to reach a higher standard, we must ensure a number of safeguards are in place to protect our democracies." Cysrus Engerer (S&D, Malta) Dutch MEP Sophie In't Veldt leads a LIBE delegation on rule of law in Slovenia