“Relations between ministers depend more on personalities than on political orientation”, these are the words of the minister and deputy prime minister of the Freedom Movement, who added that we get along better with the majority of European finance ministers than our government colleagues. French President Macron’s decision to call early elections, following his defeat in the European elections, immediately sparked concerns in global markets about a possible advance of the far right. Fear not shared by Boštjančič given his interview in which he states that he does not believe that such strengthening could have negative effects. The minister is not even worried about the outcome of the US presidential elections scheduled for the autumn, considering them “less important” compared to developments in Europe. “Everyone is focused on the United States. We should focus on ourselves and how to make our decision-making more efficient” he added.
The reactions from Ljubljana were immediate. “If the Ministry of Finance is not worried about the rise of the far right in Europe, I, as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, am very worried” commented Tanja Fajon. She was also joined by Labor Minister Luka Mesec who said he was sure of Boštjančič’s repentance for his words. A response also came from Matjaž Nemec, MEP of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, who believes that the minister’s statements require immediate reconsideration.
The Ministry of Finance specified that Minister Boštjančič has never hidden that he supports a policy of collaboration, “he does not judge people based on their political orientation, as he must pursue the interests of the country, which is only possible by collaborating with everyone the other colleagues.
