Slovenia has been urged to ensure appropriate financing of the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija and to finalise measures to raise the salaries of judges and prosecutors as mandated by the Constitutional Court in the annual Rule of Law Report released by the European Commission.

Media

"While the new governance model contributed to improving the independence of RTV Slovenija, the public service broadcaster is facing a financial crisis and changes to its funding are needed to guarantee appropriate resources," the Commission found based on talks with different stakeholders in Slovenia.

It recommends Slovenia adopt rules or put in place mechanisms that will allow the public service media to have sufficient resources to carry out its public service and at the same time guarantee its independence.

One of the reasons for the dire financial situation at the public broadcaster is that the licence fee has not been adjusted for inflation for more than ten years.

The second recommendation on media freedom concerns the adoption of additional legislative and non-legislative safeguards to protect journalists, especially online.

The Commission notes that there has been some progress in the protection of journalists in Slovenia since its last report a year ago. Among other things, the Commission expects certain safeguards to be introduced in the new media legislation, which is being prepared.

Improvements are also expected in state advertising in the media, the report reads, pointing to new legislative measures in the pipeline and the guidelines adopted in December 2024 by the Government Communications Office.

Judiciary

To increase judicial independence, Slovenia is being urged to "finalise the measures to increase the remuneration to judges and state prosecutors, taking into account European standards on resources and remuneration for the justice system".

The Commission finds that some progress had been made in this respect since last year's report, which urged the country to raise the salaries of judges and state prosecutors.

"Some steps were made on increasing the level of remuneration of judges and state prosecutors, largely unchanged since 2012, as the government proposed a partial increase and the Constitutional Court prescribed how its judgement should be implemented."

The deadline set by the Constitutional Court to implement its June 2023 judgement declaring the judges' salary system unconstitutional expired in early January and the failure to implement it led to a strike of judges and prosecutors.

In its latest decision the court ordered for judges and prosecutors to have their salaries adjusted for past inflation when they receive the pay slips for August in September. Responding to the report, the Justice Ministry alluded to this solution, which the judges believe does not entirely address the unconstitutionality.

The Commission also recommends Slovenia to complete the rules on parliamentary inquiries to ensure the independence of judges and prosecutors. The independence of the judiciary should also be ensured by adopting amendments to legislation on the appointment of judges.

The report finds that the efficiency of the judiciary has deteriorated somewhat in recent years. The length of court proceedings remains a challenge, particularly in cases of money laundering and corruption.

Slovenian authorities note progress

The Justice Ministry responded by saying that judicial legislation was being overhauled at high intensity in regard to independent judiciary recommendations and EU standards.

Since the last report, Slovenia has made further progress in the fight against corruption by adopting a new anti-corruption strategy and action plan with concrete measures and a timeframe for their implementation. The report now calls on the country to complete this process.

Just like last year, Slovenia received no recommendations regarding the system of checks and balances.

Recounting the Commission's findings, Slovenia's Foreign Ministry said the report indicated progress in virtually all fields. It underlined that Slovenia remained dedicated to strengthening the rule of law, adding that it will put together the government's response to the report and a timeline of measures.

Slovenians unhappy with media, judiciary independence

The release of the Rule of Law Report on 24 July coincided with the release of a Eurobarometer survey which showed that 70% of Europeans and 79% of Slovenians believe the EU plays an important role in maintaining the rule of law in their country.

Only 58% of respondents in Slovenia believe that media in their country are free, independent, and pluralistic, with lower shares only recorded for Bulgaria and Greece and the average share for the EU being 69%.

Slovenia also has the third-lowest share, at 34%, of those who believe that public broadcasting maintains a high level of independence from authorities.

As many as 71% of Slovenians believe that journalists cannot be critical of authorities without risking various types of pressure, including intimidation and threats. This is the highest rate in the entire EU and compares to the EU average of 53%.

Slovenians also top the list in terms of the belief that politicians and other public officials are often not transparent enough about their actions. As many as 89% of Slovenian respondents said so, compared to the EU average of 76%.

Only 24% of respondents in Slovenia believe that corruption among politicians and public officials is adequately investigated and punished, the lowest rate among all member states (the EU average is 43%).

Only 37% of Slovenian respondents believe judges are independent and not influenced by political or economic interests, while 94% believe court proceedings are too long, a proportion lower only than Malta's (97%).