A Danish diplomat got the EEAS job after Slovenia blocked Tanja Fajon, its ex foreign minister
Seven countries, including France and Spain, have criticised Slovenia’s move to block its former foreign minister from a top job at the European External Action Service in Brussels, Euractiv can reveal.
Tanja Fajon, a socialist politician, was stopped last month from becoming the new EU special envoy for the Sahel region of Africa after a last-minute intervention by Janez Janša’s right-wing government.
Under pressure from Ljubljana, Kaja Kallas, the EEAS chief, then proposed Birgitte Nygaard Markussen, the second-ranked candidate, who was ultimately appointed.
The Slovenian government has since filed a criminal complaint against Fajon, arguing she broke the law by not consulting the wider government when she applied for the job as the outgoing foreign minister – charges she strongly denies. Fajon has accused the government of meting out sexist political revenge.
