STA, 21 July 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has described decisions on the EU's own resources as one of the biggest achievements of the latest marathon summit of the bloc's leaders. In his view digital tax will likely make the biggest potential own resource of the EU.

Janša made the comments after the summit agreed a pandemic recovery package comprising the bloc's next seven-year budget to the tune of EUR 1.074 trillion and a EUR 750 billion recovery fund, of which EUR 390 billion will be in grants and the rest in loans.

Related: Janša Pleased With Results of EU Budget Talks

To allow the European Commission to borrow in the markets to finance the recovery, the headroom - the difference between the own resources ceiling of the long-term budget and the actual spending - has been temporarily increased by 0.6 percentage points.

This pandemic debt, and grants, will have to be repaid, with EU leaders committing to do so by the end of 2058. The increase in the own resources ceiling will now need to be ratified by the national parliaments.

To make the repayment of that debt easier, EU leaders also committed today to work toward reforming the system of own resources in the coming years by introducing new own resources such as a non-recycled plastic tax, to be introduced next year.

The European Commission will also propose a mechanism to tax carbon-intensive industrial imports from third countries, and a digital levy, plus an overhaul of the emissions trading system to expand it to the aviation and maritime industries.

"The subsidies will have to be repaid. One of the major shifts is those few words about own EU resources, because in seven years' time when we negotiate the next budget this will be the key," Janša said, singling out digital tax as likely the biggest potential own resource.

The coronavirus crisis has substantially increased the profits of digital giants, having accelerated a change in lifestyle, the profits that will at least double over the next five years, Janša said, adding that while profits are being generated everywhere, levies are not collected in the EU. "It's as if cars were being refuelled without any excise duty charged."

Janša also emphasized that no single member state could tackle the digital tax and only the EU was big and strong enough to negotiate a global deal for the benefit of all. "When it comes to big giants even the countries they come from have no serious oversight of the profits that are up to trebling in record time."

The Slovenian prime minister noted that he had talked with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria, pointing to the efforts for a deal on digital tax within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Janša said taking such decisions was not problematic for the Slovenian parliament. Tax on emissions and plastic would be a problem for the countries that have included the resources in their national tax policies.

Although out of the spotlights, the headway on own EU resources is in Janša's view key from the aspect of agreements on all future financial instruments of the EU.

STA, 21 July 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša said Slovenia was pleased with the outcome of the EU budget talks as EU leaders wrapped up negotiations Tuesday morning on a new multi-annual financial framework and post-coronavirus recovery fund. He stressed that its share of the funding, EUR 10.5 billion, is the highest it has ever got.

Coming out of marathon talks on Tuesday morning, Janša said the deal, which puts the EU's budget for the next seven-year period at EUR 1.07 trillion and puts in place a post-coronavirus recovery facility of EUR 750 billion, was a great achievement and a "robust response" to the crisis.

#EUCO conclusions on the #NextGenerationEU recovery package and the #EUbudget for 2021-2027

? https://t.co/0TRghmsIMH pic.twitter.com/hPeVfmw1Li

— EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) July 21, 2020

The deal instils optimism before the autumn and the continuation of the epidemic. "After the outbreak of the pandemic one could almost give up on the EU. We're all glad that bright moments have also come. This agreement is certainly one such moment."

Janša stressed that Slovenia was eligible for EUR 10.5 billion over the next seven years, of which EUR 6.6 billion in grants, and had realised its strategic objective of achieving agreement while securing all the key negotiating goals.

Tudi 4 noč dogovorov o #MFF in #NextGenerationEU je dolga. Vendar je večina dilem zaprtih. Še zadnji pogovori in usklajevanja, pa tudi že prve ocene doseženega. #Zmoremo pic.twitter.com/AWlNGeJLA6

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) July 21, 2020

Slovenia is estimated to receive EUR 2.9 billion in cohesion policy funds in its national envelope.

Janša stressed that in the final stages of the talks, it had also secured an additional EUR 350 million for the western cohesion region, the more developed of the two cohesion regions, which had potentially faced a significant decline in funding due to its level of development.

That way, Slovenia has managed to secure cohesion policy funding that is comparable with the funds available in 2014-2020.

The eastern cohesion region will be eligible for 13% more funds than it is currently receiving.

Slovenia will have EUR 1.6 billion in Common Agriculture Policy funding available, an amount that is comparable in nominal terms with the existing financial framework and marks a significant improvement over the EU Commission's initial proposal. This includes a special allocation worth EUR 50 million.

Slovenia will also be eligible for an additional EUR 2.1 billion in grants from the EUR 750 billion recovery fund plus EUR 3.6 billion in loans under this facility.

As Janša pointed out, Slovenia thus remained a net recipient of EU funds, both in the framework of the seven-year budget and the recovery fund.

Speaking after his third EU budget talks after 2005 and 2013, Janša said these negotiations were different than in the past in that the EU is different post-Brexit.

The balance of power is different and new balances are emerging, which has contributed towards the talks lasting so long. This is not necessarily bad since it creates room for manoeuvre for smaller countries, he said.

All in all, Janša said this was probably the best outcome Slovenia has ever achieved in budget talks considering its position and relative level of development.

He noted that it had been expected in the 2013 budget talks that Slovenia would become a net contributor to the EU budget by now, but it still remains a net recipient of funds.

Slovenia has always had problems drawing the funds, which is why the government is now trying to better prepare. It will hold a working meeting on Wednesday to talk about securing additional capacities so the funds are spent as soon and as best as possible.

The summit agreement also requires a national recovery plan, which he said would be "the hard part of the job". "Being aware of this challenge, we'll tackle it immediately, as early as tomorrow."

Janša also commented on rebates for net contributors, noting that this was the price to pay for the recovery facility since the four countries that have these rebates had initially been opposed to non-refundable funds.

STA, 19 July 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša described the EU summit negotiations that are currently underway in Brussels as a test of perseverance on his Twitter on Saturday evening as the second day of EU leaders' talks on the next EU budget and recovery package wrapped up. He also deemed on Sunday the third day of the negotiations a day of truth.

"The EU is once again demonstrating the entire complexities of its differences, its smallness and greatness, selfishness and solidarity," Janša wrote in his Saturday's post, adding that for some the EU was granted by their fathers, whereas the others won it out.

Drugi dan poskusov za dosego dogovora o proračunu in skladu za okrevanje. #EU se ponovno kaže v vsej svoji kompleksnosti razlik, majhnostih in veličinah, sebičnostih in solidarnosti. Za nekatere dana od očetov, za druge pribojevana. Test vztrajnosti. #MFF #RF #EUCO pic.twitter.com/wV8vvWGwGw

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) July 18, 2020

In the early hours of Sunday he also wrote that he missed the 2004-2008 EU Council "when there was less daily politics and more strategic thinking".

Moreover, the prime minister has retweeted Budget Commissioner Johannes Hahn's post which warned that the corona crisis was not over and that it was "high time to reach an agreement which allows us to provide the urgently needed support for our citizens and economies".

On Sunday, Janša also dismissed claims that Hungary, Poland and Slovenia are resisting the system that would tie the financial aid to respecting the rule of law and basic human rights, saying that Slovenia wanted the "same standards regarding independent judiciary, media, freedom of speech" to be used for all.

Wrong. We just want the same standards to be used for all. For Poland, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Germany... Same standards regarding independent judiciary, media, freedom of speech... There is no way we support selective justice and 2 standards no matter where. #RuleOfLaw https://t.co/Pz5dbYuqJ7

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) July 19, 2020

The first in-person summit of EU leaders after the start of the coronavirus pandemic started on Friday and so far a compromise on the 2021-2027 financial framework and the relief package designed to shore up Europe's economies has not yet been reached.

The negotiations will be resumed at noon on Sunday. A new proposal by EU Council President Charles Michel is expected to be presented to broker an agreement.

According to unofficial sources, under the new proposal the EUR 750 billion recovery fund is to provide EUR 450 billion in subsidies and EUR 300 billion in loans. The volume of subsidies would be therefore reduced and the volume of loans increased to cater to the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden.

Under the previous proposal, which was opposed by the frugal four and Finland, two thirds of the fund would be available in subsidies and a third in loans.

STA, 23 June - Prime Minister Janez Janša, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa agreed on Tuesday that the EU and its member states must find solutions to the social crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. They also confirmed the priorities for the trio's upcoming EU presidency.

The leaders stressed at today's videoconference that the right lessons must be learnt from this crisis and that Europe should gear up for the future. They reiterated their commitment to build a stronger, more sustainable, competitive and connected Europe after the pandemic, Janša's office said.

The three countries' priorities for their combined year-and-a-half stint at the helm of the EU, which starts next month as Germany takes over for six months, had been adjusted to the pandemic, so the main goal will be Europe's quick economic and social recovery.

Janša, Merkel and Costa agreed that the EU must come up with solutions for the post-corona period and recovery of the European economy.

They stressed the importance of green and digital transitions, and called for enhancing the EU's strategic autonomy and its capacities to tackle crises such are pandemics and cyber attacks.

The trio confirmed that tackling climate change was among the priorities of the trio whose stint will conclude with Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of 2021.

Germany, Portugal and Slovenia will also be pushing for the strengthening of Europe's global role, and its influence on global policies.

Janša, Merkel and Costa stressed the importance of joint action in relations with China and India, future-oriented relations with Africa, and the continuation of cooperation with cross-Atlantic partners. They also highlighted the need for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.

Originally, today's meeting was to be held in Berlin but was instead held virtually because of the coronavirus situation.

STA, 16 June 2020 - Germany, Portugal and Slovenia presented the programme of the trio's upcoming EU presidency in a videoconference of EU ministers in charge of European affairs on Tuesday. Foreign Ministry State Secretary Gašper Dovžan pointed to the many coronavirus-related challenges and highlighted the need for a plan B.

"The programme is a compromise reflecting the views of us all. Not all the highlighted aspects are equally important for all the countries. But in principle it is broad enough to allow for certain national specifics as part of the six-month programme," Dovžan told Slovenian Brussels-based reporters.

He noted the programme had to be reviewed in the past three months because of the corona crisis, especially because the goal was to improve the bloc's resilience to any future crises.

The top priority will be the next multi-annual budget, as no plans will be able to be implemented without adequate financial support, he said.

Dovžan noted that logistical and organisational preparations in Slovenia had been interrupted because of the coronavirus but the government endorsed a reviewed plan last week.

He stressed the need for an alternative scenario for the presidency in case of a second wave of the epidemic. Meetings could be cancelled or carried out on-line, which would mean "certain spaces" would not be able to be used, he said.

Asked whether an EU-Western Balkans summit would be held during Slovenia's presidency, Dovžan said it was not in the draft programme. But Portugal also did not plan a summit of the EU and its Eastern Neighbourhood which is being planned now, he added.

Slovenia will have to be flexible and potentially organise any other summits as well, he said, adding it was too early to talk about such plans.

In a joint press statement issued after today's videoconference, Dovžan also called for a sustainable and inclusive growth in combination with a green transition and digital transformation. He also called for plans to help the EU tackle crises such as pandemics, global cyber attacks, and migration pressure, and for an ambitious policy towards the EU's neighbourhoods in the east and south.

The programme of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia will be officially endorsed in a correspondence session in the coming days in line with the new coronavirus rules.

Germany will take over the six-month presidency in July, followed by Portugal in the first half of 2021, and Slovenia in the second half. The trio was also the first trio to hold the presidency in 2007 and 2008. Slovenia was at the helm of the bloc in the first half of 2008 as the first newcomer to hold the presidency.

STA, 11 June 2020 - Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša has hit back at European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni following his appeal for explanation over the dismissal of the Statistics Office's director by suggesting he was playing a political game for the Slovenian left.

 "I didn't receive your letter, but press did," Janša tweeted after the STA reported yesterday that Gentiloni sent a letter to Janša asking him to explain the replacement of the head of the Slovenia's Statistics Office.

Mr. @PaoloGentiloni, I didn’t receive your letter, but press did. @govSlovenia replaced a political appointee as Statistics Office head with an expert with 30 y of experience in this Office. Hope this is the last time you play a political game for Slovenian left. @vonderleyen https://t.co/qFzkzVgXks

— Janez Janša (@JJansaSDS) June 11, 2020

"@govSlovenia replaced a political appointee as Statistics Office head with an expert with 30 y of experience in this Office. Hope this is the last time you play a political game for Slovenian left," Janša added in his tweet, which he also tagged to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president.

Asked by the STA for its response to Janša's tweet, the European Commission's press service said Gentiloni's letter was transmitted by email to Slovenia's Permanent Representation to the EU at 17:52 on Tuesday, 9 June, for onward transmission to the prime minister.

"Addressing the letter to Prime Minister Janša via the Permanent Representation is in line with standard practice," said a commission spokesperson.

The Commission said yesterday that Gentiloni addressed a letter to Janša on Tuesday to request "some clarifications concerning the recent replacement of the Director-General of the State Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia".

Asked about what prompted the letter, the Commission said it "is committed to ensuring that the principles of impartiality and professional independence of national statistical authorities as laid down in EU legislation are fully respected".

Janša's tweet invited response from several Slovenian MEPs, including Tanja Fajon, the acting leader of the opposition Social Democrats (SD), who tweeted: "Janša's response is indecent: when there's no arguments, attack and denigration. This government has damaged Slovenia's reputation."

Ni verodostojne informacije brez verodostojnih podatkov. Komisar Gentiloni zahteva pojasnila, ker je menjava na čelu SURS nov znak suspenza demokracije v Sloveniji. Janšev odgovor je nedostojen: ko ni argumentov, napad in blatenje. Ta vlada je uničila ugled Slovenije v EU. https://t.co/vcQHGxTx4k

— Tanja Fajon (@tfajon) June 11, 2020

Tagging a retweet of her earlier tweet about Gentilioni's letter, Janša had also taken aim at SD staff: "Slobbering in Brussels, biting at home (...) bowing to those above, pressing those under".

Romana Tomc, a MEP for Janša's Democratic Party (EPP/SDS), joined the back and forth on Twitter by supporting the prime minister in a tweet saying that Gentiloni's move was obviously politically-motivated, and ignited by political players.

Poteza @PaoloGentiloni je zelo očitno politično motivirana, podžigajo jo slovenski akterji. Skrajno čudno je tudi to, da komisar dopusti, da javnost za dopis izve prej kot naslovnik. @vladaRS nikakor ne sme pristati na tak način delovanja @EU_Commission

— RomanaTomc (@RomanaTomc) June 11, 2020

"It's utterly odd that the commissioner should have let the public learn about the letter sooner than the addressee. The government must in no way agree to such a mode of operation by the European Commission," Tomc tweeted.

MEP Irena Joveva (Renew/LMŠ) tweeted that Janša replaced the Statistics Office's director for the first time in Slovenia's history, adding that his accusing Gentiloni "sounds familiar".

Echoing the sentiment expressed by Fajon, Milan Brglez (S&D/SD) described Janša's tweet as indecent. "After a series of foreign policy 'mistakes' now indecent behaviour by Janez Janša. Following the principle 'what can they do about it anyway'. Quo vadis, Slovenia."

The government dismissed Bojan Nastav as director of the Statistics Office in late May, appointing Tomaž Smrekar as acting director for up to six months until a new director is named.

In response, the Statistics Council, an expert advisory body, has asked the Constitutional Court to review the dismissal after obtaining a legal opinion that found the government invoked a wrong piece of legislation for the dismissal.

Janša said in late May that Nastav's replacement was necessary "due to responsiveness". "This is about a body functioning in a professional fashion, being responsive, so that we can rely on getting data tomorrow if we need it."

STA, 10 June 2020 - European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni has addressed a letter to Slovenia's Prime Minister Janez Janša, asking him to explain the changes at the helm of Slovenia's Statistics Office, the Commission's press service confirmed for the STA on Wednesday.

The letter was sent to Janša yesterday with the aim to provide complete compliance with the principles of impartiality and professional independence of national statistics offices, the press service said.

The move comes after the government dismissed in late May director general of the Statistics Office Bojan Nastav and appointed Tomaž Smrekar acting director general. The latter will serve until a full-fledged director is appointed but no longer than six months.

Related: Was the Director of Slovenia’s Statistical Office Dismissed for Following the Law?

Earlier this month, the Statistics Council, an expert advisory body, asked the Constitutional Court to review the dismissal of Nastav.

The council is not sure which law applies in this case - the one on public sector employees, which allows the government to dismiss a top public sector employee a year after the employee started their job, or the national statistics act.

Janša said in late May that the dismissal of Nastav was necessary "due to responsiveness". "This is about a body functioning in a professional fashion, being responsive, so that we can rely on getting data tomorrow if we need it."

SURS has a great website, in English, here

STA, 27 May 2020 - Slovenia will be eligible to receive EUR 5.071 billion from the EU's coronavirus recovery plan, shows an European Commission document, which has not yet been formally released. It will be able to receive EUR 2.579 billion in grants and EUR 2.492 billion in loans.

Slovenia will be able to draw the EUR 2.579 billion in grants from various instruments, not just the new recovery and resilience fund.

These include the new cohesion instrument ReactEU and the strengthened Just Transition Fund and the Regional Development Fund.

To receive the money from the recovery and resilience fund, a member state will have to draft a reform and investment plan setting out the expenditure, which will have to be approved at EU level.

The Commission will present the instruments in detail on Thursday, when the official breakdown by member state will also be published.

The Commission proposes a EUR 750 billion fund to help the economies of member states cope with the post-coronavirus reality, Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni tweeted on Wednesday.

EUR 500 billion will be earmarked for grants and EUR 250 billion for loans, but details are yet to be presented.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is presenting it to the European Parliament, which will then further discuss it.

The prime minister's office said that the proposal was a "step in the right direction" and that Slovenia would take a clear position on it after making a thorough analysis, supported with adequate calculations.

The office added that "Slovenia has always advocated an ambitious and future-oriented EU multi-year budget" and that the proposals presented by Von der Leyen would certainly be helpful in tackling the economic impact of the pandemic.

"By doing so, the European Union will contribute to the extensive efforts of member states for kick-starting the economy while also making a decisive step towards strengthening the internal EU market."

The office added that, when it came to the European Commission's proposal, Slovenia would be "particularly attentive to its priority areas such as cohesion policy."

Slovenian MEPs meanwhile said that Slovenia's success in drawing from the recovery and resilience fund would depend on the country's authorities, while assessing the entire proposal as a sign that there is still solidarity in the EU.

The European People's Party (EPP) MEPs believe that the EUR 5.1 billion for Slovenia is an excellent result and opportunity, and that the Slovenian government is able to draw such an amount in what is a demanding and responsible job.

Tanja Fajon and Milan Brglez (S&D/SD) said that Slovenia would need a good reform and investment plan and noted that the phasing of the funds would be conditional on priorities such as environment, digitalisation and resilience.

Klemen Grošelj (Renew/LMŠ) assessed that this is an opportunity for Slovenia to get very favourable funds for tackling the coronavirus crisis. They can significantly contribute to stabilisation and mitigation of consequences, he added.

STA, 19 May 2020 - PM Janez Janša has welcomed a German-French proposal for the EU to set up a 500 billion euro fund to restart the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he believes an even more ambitious approach would be needed to address a crisis of such proportions. He also discussed it with his Italian and Austrians counterparts.

Germany and France proposed on Monday that EUR 500 billion be raised in public markets to fund, through grants, the EU sectors and regions where the impact of the coronavirus has been most star stark.

"It is a good step forward. 500 billion euro is indeed macroeconomically relevant number, but more ambitious approach would be welcome for this scale of a symmetric crisis.

"Now we need a swift agreement on the multi-year financial framework and a recovery fund as a package," Janša said in response to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's welcoming the German-French idea.

Janša also announced on Twitter that he had discussed the proposed relief fund and the EU's multi-year budget with the Italian and Austrian prime ministers, Giuseppe Conte and Sebastian Kurz.

PV @JJansaSDS je ???? predlog o 500 milijard evrov vrednem skladu za zagon gospodarstva EU po #COVID19 ocenil kot "dober korak naprej." Sklad bi se financiral z zadolževanjem v imenu EU, z njim pa bi financirali najbolj prizadete sektorje in regije.https://t.co/63drgkx2VP pic.twitter.com/I1daOe3lgd

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) May 19, 2020

"We agreed that in order to overcome the crisis and help companies and families, we need an ambition proposal by the European Commission.

"This is of vital importance for the EU and the common market to fully recover," the Slovenian prime minister tweeted after speaking with Conte.

Earlier in the day, Conte also took to Twitter saying the German-French proposal was an important step in the direction Italy had proposed.

The talk with Chancellor Kurz also focussed on "border opening and experiences from the fight with the coronavirus, where Slovenia and Austria are among the most successful countries", Janša tweeted.

However Kurz does not seem to be eager to relax border checks on the border with Slovenia, which is part of the EU's internal borders, while Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia agreed earlier today that they would reopen their borders in mid-June.

Kurz is also reserved about the idea for a 500 billion euro fund, announcing that Austria would come up with a counter-proposal with another three countries (Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden) for a fund based not on grants but on loans.

Janša had meanwhile promoted the idea of coronabonds with which the EU as a whole would finance the ramifications of the pandemic.

STA, 9 May 2020 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has joined the leaders of the other 26 EU member countries and representatives of the bloc's three key institutions for a joint video message on Europe Day, noting that Slovenia has chosen the EU in the hope of peace, freedom and prosperity.

In a video message posted on Twitter, the EU leaders underscored the significance of a united Europe and solidarity, in particular in the combat against the coronavirus crisis.

"The European Union is our conscious choice. A choice in the hope of peace, freedom and prosperity," said Janša, speaking in Slovene.

Each of the leaders delivered a brief message in their own language.

The first to appear on the clip, European Council President Charles Michel said: "Europe means freedom, tolerance, openness, diversity, respect, innovation, creativity, dynamism. Europe is also about solidarity and unity."

Janša appeared fifth in the clip after Michel, Croatian PM Andrej Plenković, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, and the leaders of the next two presiding countries ahead of Slovenia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Portuguese PM Antonio Costa.

Slovenia is scheduled to hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021 after it held the stint for the first time between January and June 2008.

Europe Day commemorates the Schuman Declaration, presented 70 years ago to the day, to call for political cooperation for a lasting peace among European nations.