Slovenia blocks ex-foreign minister from EU Sahel envoy role amid domestic political feud

The Slovenian government has prevented Tanja Fajon, the country's former foreign minister, from taking up a senior diplomatic position with the European External Action Service in Brussels.

Fajon, a social democrat who served in office until June, was the leading candidate to become the EU's new special representative for the Sahel region. However, on Wednesday, EU ambassadors approved the second-ranked candidate for the role: Birgitte Nygaard Markussen, a Danish diplomat with extensive experience in Africa.

Fajon was denied the position following a sustained campaign against her by Slovenia's right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Janez Janša.

Diplomatic Objections

Fajon's successor as foreign minister, Tone Kajzer, raised questions about the legitimacy of the selection procedure during a bilateral meeting with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on 12 July. Five days later, Kajzer wrote to Kallas, the Irish Council presidency, and other EU foreign ministers, emphasising that Ljubljana did not support Fajon.

In the letter, seen by Euractiv, Kajzer stated that Slovenia's internal selection procedure had been "compromised" and did not meet the requirements of integrity and transparency.

Kallas subsequently withdrew Fajon's candidacy and proceeded with Nygaard Markussen. According to an EU official, this is a standard course of action when a member state strongly opposes a candidate.

Party Politics

The decision to drop Fajon can also be understood as a power play by the European People's Party (EPP), the dominant political force in the EU. Romana Tomc, the most senior Slovenian EPP deputy in the European Parliament, wrote on X that it is important to have allies within the EPP.

Faris Kočan, assistant professor of international relations at Ljubljana University, said Kallas was "bullied" by the EPP and should have defended Fajon during the process.

"If you're the chief of European diplomacy and Fajon is your number-one candidate, you should stand up for her, not bend," he told Euractiv.

Kočan noted that Kallas' predecessor, Josep Borrell, withstood pressure from Rome in 2023 when Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opposed the appointment of Luigi Di Maio, a former foreign minister under a previous government, as EU special representative for the Gulf.

Matjaž Nemec, a Slovenian MEP from Fajon's social democratic party, said the issue was not about Kallas' decision-making but rather about how the EPP wields its influence.

"The key question is whether the EPP, by tolerating or supporting Janša's style of political confrontation beyond Slovenia's borders and into European decision-making, still stands by the values it claims to uphold," he said.

A Loss for Slovenia

Slovenian President Nataša Pirc Musar described the decision as a "major defeat for the country," writing on X that national interest should take precedence, particularly for a country whose size means it is not guaranteed prestigious posts in European institutions.

In an interview with Slovenian newspaper Delo, Fajon said Ljubljana lobbied against her in Brussels and sought to discredit her personally.

"I think it is a loss for Slovenia, which has very few people holding senior international positions," she said.

Fajon also stated that she received assurances from Kajzer that he would support her candidacy — a claim his ministry has denied.

Pattern of Opposition

This is not the first Brussels nomination that Janez Janša has attempted to derail. In 2024, he tried — unsuccessfully — to prevent Marta Kos from becoming Slovenia's European commissioner.

Kočan also noted that the controversy amounted to a political win for Janša, whose ally Branko Grims was recently expelled from the EPP group over his links with the far right.