In recent days, there have been claims among the Slovenian public and in the statements of some representatives of political parties that in the light of Slovenia's presidency of the EU, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, has proposed that political parties sign a "non-aggression" agreement.

(Photo: Bobo)

The proposed agreement which the PM presented to presidents of parliamentary parties, the leader of the parliamentary group of unaffiliated MPs, and the representatives of the Italian and Hungarian national minorities at a meeting last week is in fact a proposal for cooperation during Slovenia's preparations for the EU presidency, and any claims about hampering the opposition are completely unjustified and ungrounded.

 

In the spirit of reaching a broad political consensus among parliamentary parties, such as at the time when Slovenia accepted the offer to be the first among new member states to take over the presidency of the EU, the Prime Minister Janša sees this as the most demanding task of Slovenia's foreign policy, which is not merely a government project, but one of national significance. In his view, signing the agreement on cooperation and pooling efforts to make Slovenia's presidency a successful one is a sign of political maturity and a responsibility.

 

The proposed agreement in no way limits the opposition's role in monitoring the government's work. Therefore, certain interpretations of the PM's initiative and consequent insinuations about both the government and its president attempting to limit the opposition and even "freeze" or "suspend" the National Assembly are absurd and untrue.