When asked to respond to Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša’s criticism of journalists on Twitter, Commission spokespeople told the press room on Thursday 18 February that the EU and its president condemned insulting remarks towards journalists, “including in this case”.
Janša, whose country will hold the Presidency of the EU from July, accused the journalist Lili Bayer and her employer, the media company Politico, of lying. The Prime Minister was reacting to an article referring to the “war” being waged against the Slovenian media by Janša’s government (see EUROPE 12633/28).
“We cannot launch an infringement proceeding for a personal comment directed at a journalist”, said Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer, noting that a proceeding of this kind could only involve the implementation of national legislation under European law.
Christian Wigand, the spokesperson responsible for the rule of law, stated that ensuring respect for media pluralism and the safety of journalists came under domestic jurisdiction.
“We have other courses of action open to us”, Mamer said, in reference to the Commission’s report on the rule of law, its recent action plan for democracy (see EUROPE 12615/1) and the specific proposals promised for 2021 in this area (see EUROPE 12615/2). (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)