“Janša is a man with international credit, whom I do not expect to be lost wandering the corridors of Brussels like Marjan Šarec, but who will expertly enforce Slovenia’s will in both the European Union, as well as on the international stage,” Mitja Iršič, analyst and legal expert, estimates the future of the new government. Economist Matej Lahovnik, Ph.D. predicts, that Janez Janša will be able to capitalize on his vast economic experience in Slovenia and abroad, as he is experienced enough to know that in the economy, no lunch is ever free and the existing budget was not adopted on realistic assumptions.
We asked the former Minister of the Economy, Professor at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana, Matej Lahovnik, Ph.D., and political analyst Mitja Iršič, what the election of a new government will bring to the development of the country, and, above all, to all the Slovenians, and our international recognition.
Priorities: a more even regional development, competitiveness of the healthcare
Lahovnik is pleasantly surprised that, given the political programme that was presented, Slovenia has once again gotten a government that will work on a more even regional development. The announcement that newly established state institutions will be based outside of Ljubljana is refreshingly groundbreaking, as it mimics Sweden’s good approach. “After all, Slovenia is not just Ljubljana, but so much more, and it’s time to stop the centralization of the country. The fact that the new government is defending the competitiveness in the public sector, including in education and healthcare, means that they will put the interest of service users at the forefront, which is how it should be,” Lahovnik says.
On the priorities of the new government, Iršič stated that it is imperative to curb the outpour of money from the healthcare system, and establish a competitive system, in which both the public and the private sphere will compete in all public subsystems. “The budget will have to be mended after two years of wasteful spending, especially as the crisis is near. The promised de-bureaucratization is crucial – only an unburdened economy will produce results, even in difficult conditions,” Iršič is critical.
International affairs that can bring Slovenia back among the reputable countries
In the second half of next year, Slovenia will face a new ordeal, which it has already successfully completed once. The EU Presidency will be a routine, but challenging matter, in which Slovenia must do everything to become an important player on the European playfield again, which it already was, before the left-wing governments. “Janša is a man with international credit, whom I do not expect to be lost wandering the corridors of Brussels like Marjan Šarec, but who will expertly enforce Slovenia’s will in both the European Union, as well as on the international stage. I expect the stalemate position, related to the Arbitration Agreement, to finally be resolved in this term, with mutual indulgence. I also expect that Slovenia will be able to draw from the European Cohesion Funds more efficiently,” Iršič estimates. Former Minister of the Economy Lahovnik is counting on Janez Janša‘s experience, which he gained on the international floor in the period between 2004-2008, which also makes him the only Slovenian Prime Minister to lead the Council of the European Union twice.
Mitja Iršič expects a lean and efficient country
Mitja Iršič expects Slovenia to forget that it exists in the former Yugoslavia. “I would like to emphasize the fact that Janša correctly identified the way for Slovenia to find its status within the EU.” According to him, small countries like Slovenia can only compete with the big ones with their GDP. “This is a big turn from the politics we have been listening to for the last seven years – that we are small and there is nothing that can be done. I expect this mandate to be the one to show where our strengths lie – in a lean country and economy, which will overtake other European countries,” the analyst Iršič stated.
In the European Union, a large amount of capital comes from the European Cohesion Funds. Iršič emphasizes that this policy will be one of the most important policies of the upcoming Janša’s government. “Slovenia will be able to use EU Cohesion Funds more efficiently. In the last couple of years, the fact that Slovenia has been losing lawsuits in the international courts, also because of the increasingly obvious pro-Russian and anti-Western stance, has been an open secret. Public international law is not the same as our positive national law; diplomacy is a big part of decision-making in international law, despite the fact that no one will oficially admit it.” Iršič expects that Janša’s and SDS’s pro-Western stance, as indicated in Janša’s speech, will help increase Slovenian validity in international disputes, as well as in multilateral negotiations within the EU and the world.
Lahovnik predicts that Janez Janša will be able to correctly predict Slovenia’s economic indicators
At the same time, economist Matej Lahovnik, Ph.D. predicts, that Janez Janša will be able to capitalize on his vast economic experience in Slovenia and abroad, as he is experienced enough to know that in the economy, no lunch is ever free and the existing budget was not adopted on realistic assumptions. He points out that the economic situation today is much worse than it was a few months ago. “That is probably the reason why he announced that adequate financial resources would have to be provided when additional services, such as long-term care, will be introduced. For a sustainable long-term development of Slovenia, and especially for young people, the establishment of the demographic fund is also good news, as the topic of a secure future will now obviously receive more attention than in previously did,” the former Minister of the Economy in Rop’s and Pahor’s government, and a professor at the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana, Matej Lahovnik, Ph.D., stated.
Luka Perš