Tanja Fajon

Tanja Fajon
Fajon in 2024
Deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 June 2022
Prime MinisterRobert Golob
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 June 2022
Prime MinisterRobert Golob
Preceded byAnže Logar
President of the Social Democrats
In office
10 October 2020 – 13 April 2024
Preceded byDejan Židan
Succeeded byMatjaž Han
Member of the European Parliament
for Slovenia
In office
1 July 2009 – 13 May 2022
Succeeded byMatjaž Nemec
European leadership roles
Vice-President of the Party of European Socialists
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 October 2022
PresidentStefan Löfven
Vice-Chair of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
In office
1 July 2014 – 1 July 2019
PresidentGianni Pittella
Udo Bullmann
Parliamentary offices
Member of the National Assembly
In office
13 May 2022 – 1 June 2022
Succeeded byMartin Premk
Personal details
BornTanja Anna Fajon
(1971-05-09) 9 May 1971
Ljubljana, SR Slovenia, SFR Yugoslavia
PartySocial Democrats
SpouseVeit-Ulrich Braun
EducationUniversity of Ljubljana (BA)
Paris-Sud University (MA)

Tanja Anna Fajon (born 9 May 1971) is a Slovenian politician who has served as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs since June 2022. A member of the Social Democrats, she led the party from 2020 to 2024. Fajon was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Slovenia until 2022, having been elected in 2009, 2014, and 2019.

Born in Ljubljana, Fajon attended the Poljane Grammar School and studied journalism at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, later earning a master’s degree in international politics at Paris-Sud University. Before entering politics, she worked as a journalist at Radio Glas Ljubljana and the newspaper Republika, and from 1996 at RTV Slovenia. She spent eight years as RTV Slovenia’s Brussels correspondent, closely covering Slovenia’s accession to the European Union in 2004 and the early years of its EU membership.

As an MEP, Fajon led the Slovenian delegation within the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D). She played a pivotal role as rapporteur on visa liberalisation for the Western Balkans and served as Vice-Chair of the S&D from 2014 to 2019 during her third term. She is the only Slovenian to be named twice among the 40 most influential MEPs by Politico Europe.

Following the 2022 parliamentary election, Fajon was briefly elected as a member of the National Assembly before joining the 15th Government of Slovenia led by Prime Minister Robert Golob. As party leader during the government’s formation, she personally chose to serve as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs.

Early life and education

Born in Ljubljana on 9 May 1971, Tanja Fajon is the daughter of Nevenka “Neva” Fajon (1943–2021), a renowned Slovenian film editor who worked on the Oscar-nominated film When I Close My Eyes (1993) and at RTV Slovenia,[1] and Bogdan Fajon, a journalist and editor also employed at RTV Slovenia. She has an older brother, Sašo Fajon, a composer and musician known for co-writing Prisluhni mi, which represented Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1995; he suffered a heart attack in 2016.[2]

After completing Poljane Grammar School in 1990, Fajon earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana in 1996.[3] While working at RTV Slovenia, she completed a master’s degree in International Politics at the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Paris-Sud University in 2005.[4] She later undertook a graduate course in management at the IEDC-Bled School of Management until 2016.[5]

Career in journalism

Fajon began her journalism career as a journalist and assistant editor at Radio Glas Ljubljana from 1991 to 1995. In 1993, she also worked as a reporter and writer for the Slovenian daily newspaper Republika.[6] From 1996 to 2001, she was a local journalist at RTV Slovenia, before becoming a correspondent for RTV Slovenia in Brussels, a role she held from 2001 to 2009, closely following Slovenia’s accession to the European Union in 2004.[7] During this period, she also contributed as a reporter for CNN from 1995 to 2001.[8]

Political career

Member of the European Parliament, 2009–2022

In the 2009 European Parliament elections in Slovenia, Fajon was elected as a member of the Social Democrats (SD). During her first term, she served as vice-chairwoman of the European Parliament delegation for Croatia until the country joined the European Union. She was also a member of the Committee on Organised Crime, Corruption and Money Laundering (CRIM), Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), and the Delegation for relations with the United States.[9]

Fajon was reelected in 2014, receiving more votes than the list leader, Igor Lukšič. She was proposed as Slovenia’s nominee for the European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker, but the Slovenian government ultimately nominated Violeta Bulc.[10] In her second term she served on LIBE, Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, and the Delegation for relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (DSEE).[11] Fajon also served as Vice-Chair of the S&D during this term. By 2016, she was considered one of Slovenia’s most popular political figures according to national opinion polls.[12]

Following the 2019 European elections, Fajon played a central role in EP-mediated interparty dialogue in Serbia, serving as chair of the delegation for relations with Serbia.[13] She was also a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET)[14] and participated in a cross-party working group tasked with drafting the European Parliament’s five-year work program on the rule of law, borders, and migration.[15]

Throughout her EP career, Fajon acted as rapporteur for the visa liberalisation process for the Western Balkans.[16] She played a key role in enabling citizens of Albania to travel freely within the Schengen Area, marking a major step toward Albania’s EU accession.[17] In recognition of her efforts, a café in Tirana was named in her honor in 2010.[18] She also contributed to visa liberalisation for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Moldova.[19][20]

On May 5, a delegation of the Social Democrats, with then-vice president Tanja Fajon, paid homage to the monument to Boris Kidrič in Ljubljana, as they wrote, in memory of the founding of the then-composed Kidrič government and pledged to "secure freedom, peace, and justice."[21] The act aroused disapproval in part of the public, as the delegation was thereby paying homage to Kidrič, who during and after World War II was involved in committing crimes, including extrajudicial killings of Slovenes and the persecution of the German minority.[22][23][24]

Party politics

Tanja Fajon served for several years as vice-chairwoman of the Social Democrats (SD) and as chair of the SD Council for Foreign Policy. On 28 May 2020, following the resignation of Dejan Židan as party president, Fajon assumed the role of acting president. During the handover, Židan publicly endorsed Fajon, calling on the party council to formally appoint her as president and stating that he viewed her as a potential future Prime Minister.[25]

In the 2022 parliamentary elections, the party experienced a decline, reducing its number of seats from ten to seven.[26] Fajon herself was elected as a member of parliament, which led to the end of her term in the European Parliament on 13 May 2022, succeeded by Matjaž Nemec.[27] Two days after the elections, SD vice-president Jernej Pikalo resigned.[28]

At the party congress on 8 October 2022 in Ptuj, Fajon was confirmed as the party president, running unopposed.[29] She remained in this role until 13 April 2024, when Matjaž Han was elected as the new leader.[30] On 14 October 2022, she was also elected vice-president of the Party of European Socialists at its congress in Berlin.[31]

Foreign Minister, 2022–present

Following the formation of the 15th Government of Slovenia, Prime Minister Robert Golob allowed coalition party leaders to choose their ministries. Tanja Fajon selected the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was confirmed by the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs on 30 May 2022, receiving nine votes in favor and six against.[32] She officially assumed office on 1 June 2022.[33] Among her early priorities, she proposed renaming the ministry to the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and emphasized returning to a focus on core EU states.

Shortly after taking office, Fajon named one of the ministry’s conference halls after Slovenian writer Boris Pahor.[34] She also intervened regarding a potential reduction of RTV Slovenia correspondents, sending a letter to Director-General Andrej Grah Whatmough, which the opposition party SDS criticized as political pressure.[35]

Early in her term, Fajon received three open letters regarding Slovenia’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, advocating different approaches from peace negotiations[36] to firm support for Ukrainian defense.[37] She invited the authors to the first meeting of the Strategic Council for Foreign Policy.[38]

In September 2022, the ministry faced controversy when a diplomatic cable supporting the presidential candidacy of Nataša Pirc Musar was leaked by the ambassador in the U.S.,[39] prompting SDS to file a motion of no confidence against Fajon, which failed (22 votes in favor, 52 against).[40]

On 24 January 2023, the ministry was officially renamed the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs during a government reconstruction.[41] Fajon also continued Slovenia’s campaign for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, appointing special envoy Franc But to support the effort. Slovenia was elected with 153 votes in the UN General Assembly.[42]

On 4 June 2024, Slovenia recognized the State of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, becoming the 147th UN member to do so.[43] Diplomatic relations were formally established the following day through the delivery of a verbal note to the Palestinian ambassador in Vienna.[44] This decision followed similar actions by Spain, Ireland, and Norway.

On 15 July 2025, the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas and the foreign ministers of the EU member states decided not to take any action against Israel over alleged Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war and settler violence in the West Bank.[45] Fajon posted on social media: "It is disappointing that there is no EU consensus to act on the June determination that Israel is violating Article 2 of the [EU-Israel Association Agreement], concerning human rights."[46]

Personal life

Fajon lives between Ljubljana and Brussels with her husband Veit-Ulrich Braun, a German journalist.[47] Other than Slovenian, she speaks English, German, French, and Croatian.[7][47]

Other activities

Honors and awards

  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: Tanja Fajon was named Person of the Year 2009 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for her endeavors to abolish visa requirements for the Western Balkan citizens.[19]
  • Albania: On 22 October 2010, Tanja Fajon received a copy of the key of the city of Tirana, on the occasion of state visit to Albania.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: In December 2010, Tanja Fajon was the first to receive an honorary doctorate from the American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.[49][50]
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina: In May 2014, Tanja Fajon received a Key of Heart from citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.[51]
  • EU: On 10 September 2019, Tanja Fajon received "Award for the Contribution to the European Integration of the Region" by portal European Western Balkans for "her unwavering commitment to the European future of the Western Balkans (WB) amidst rising challenges, continued representation of the value-based EU in the region, as well as the principled promotion of democracy, freedom and tolerance"Award for the Contribution to the European Integration of the Region".[52][53]

References

  1. ^ Š, N. "Umrla je montažerka Neva Fajon". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  2. ^ Černe, Moni (17 January 2016). "Pretres v družini Fajon". old.slovenskenovice.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Tanja Fajon • Zvezoskop". Zvezoskop. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  4. ^ "Tanja Fajon - EU40". Bedste casinoer uden ROFUS. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Tanja Fajon". Portal GOV.SI. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Tanja Fajon • Zvezoskop". Zvezoskop. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Tanja Fajon – EU40". Network of MEPs under 40.
  8. ^ "The Seven Slovenian MEPs". Slovenian Government Communication Office. 2009.
  9. ^ "7th parliamentary term | Tanja Fajon | MEPs". www.europarl.europa.eu. 9 May 1971. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Violeta Bulc je slovenska kandidatka za evropsko komisarko". RTV SLO. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  11. ^ "8th parliamentary term | Tanja Fajon | MEPs". www.europarl.europa.eu. 9 May 1971. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  12. ^ Ryan Heath (19 May 2016), The 40 MEPs who actually matter: Tanja Fajon Politico Europe.
  13. ^ "Serbia must deliver on electoral reform ahead of the 2020 elections, 31 October 2019". European Parliament. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  14. ^ "9th parliamentary term | Tanja Fajon | MEPs". www.europarl.europa.eu. 9 May 1971. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  15. ^ Florian Eder (13 June 2019), POLITICO Brussels Playbook, presented by Google: Madrid’s moment — Parliament working groups sneak peak — Happy birthday, GDPR Politico Europe.
  16. ^ "Conclusion of the party dialogue in Serbia: Commitments need to be implemented". European Western Balkans. 16 December 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Pahor Says Visa Liberation Is Dream Come True for Albania". Slovenian Press Agency. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  18. ^ "Albanian Cafe Named After Slovenian MEP". Slovenian Press Agency. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  19. ^ a b "MEP Tanja Fajon named Person of the year in Bosnia and Herzegovina". Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  20. ^ "S&D Euro MP Tanja Fajon gives green light to visa-free movement between Moldova and EU Schengen countries". Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. 2014. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Nur ein paar Bilder, aber tausend Missverständnisse". Die Presse (in German). 28 July 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Nur ein paar Bilder, aber tausend Missverständnisse". Die Presse (in German). 28 July 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  23. ^ Preac, Gregor (11 November 2021). "Klanjanje klanju (Kidrič ali zadnji kult osebnosti v EU)" (PDF).
  24. ^ postaja, Spletna. "Boris Kidrič, komunistični prvak in zločinec, še vedno slavljen [6] | Družina – vsak dan s teboj". druzina.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 16 December 2025.
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  26. ^ "SD poslabšal rezultat. Tanja Fajon: Dosegli smo naš skupni cilj". www.24ur.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  27. ^ Z, M. "V Bruslju bo Tanjo Fajon kot evroposlanec nadomestil Matjaž Nemec". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  28. ^ Ma, Al. "Jernej Pikalo zaradi slabega volilnega izida stranke SD odstopil z mesta podpredsednika". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  29. ^ "Tanja Falon Named Interim Head of Social Democrats". www.total-slovenia-news.com. 10 October 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Guterres po zasedanju Varnostnega sveta: Svet si ne more privoščiti nove vojne". N1 (in Slovenian). 14 April 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
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  32. ^ "Odbor za zunanjo politiko podprl predstavitev Fajonove". www.24ur.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  33. ^ "Ministrica Fajon z avstrijskim zunanjim ministrom Schallenbergom o nadaljevanju tesnega sodelovanja". Portal GOV.SI (in Slovenian). 6 June 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  34. ^ "Poklon spominu na Borisa Pahorja". Portal GOV.SI (in Slovenian). 15 June 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  35. ^ "STA: SDS v pismu Fajonove generalnemu direktorju RTVS vidi nedopusten pritisk". www.sta.si. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  36. ^ "Poziv vladi k spremembi politike do Rusije. Fajonova pismo delno podprla". www.24ur.com (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  37. ^ "Pismo Golobu in Fajon: Slovenija mora ukrajinski odpor podpreti z vsemi sredstvi". N1 (in Slovenian). 13 June 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  38. ^ "Prva seja Strateškega sveta za zunanjo politiko v novi sestavi namenjena razpravi o vojni v Ukrajini". Portal GOV.SI (in Slovenian). 24 June 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  39. ^ Z, M. "Slovenskemu veleposlaniku v ZDA zaradi suma fotografiranja zaupne depeše grozi odpoklic". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  40. ^ Ma, Al. "Tanja Fajon ostaja ministrica za zunanje zadeve". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  41. ^ "Kaj prinaša nov Zakon o Vladi Republike Slovenije". Portal GOV.SI (in Slovenian). 23 June 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  42. ^ Tratnik, T. K. B. , Ksenja. "Slovenija bo nestalna članica VS-ja: "Tak rezultat je veliko priznanje in odgovornost"". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  43. ^ Ma, Al. "Slovenija je priznala državo Palestino". rtvslo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  44. ^ "Republika Slovenija in Država Palestina vzpostavili diplomatske odnose". Portal GOV.SI (in Slovenian). 5 June 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  45. ^ Rankin, Jennifer (16 July 2025). "EU accused of 'cruel and unlawful betrayal' of Palestinians over failure to confront Israel". The Guardian.
  46. ^ Eichner, Itamar (15 July 2025). "Efforts led by Spain and Ireland to sanction Israel over alleged human rights violations fails". Ynet.
  47. ^ a b "Tanja FAJON, Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Bled Forum. 2014.
  48. ^ Members European Council on Foreign Relations.
  49. ^ "Tanja Fajon received the Honorary Doctorate". American University in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
  50. ^ "Tanja Fajon, first honorary doctorate" (in Bosnian). Nezavisne novine. 2010.
  51. ^ "NES award 'European Radio BIH'" (in Bosnian). Nezavisne novine. 2014.
  52. ^ "EWB award MEP Tanja Fajon for commitment to WB European future". N1 Srbija (in Serbian (Latin script)). Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  53. ^ EWB (10 September 2020). "Tanja Fajon – Dobitnica EWB nagrade za doprinos evropskim integracijama regiona". European Western Balkans (in Serbian). Retrieved 19 October 2020.
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