Irena Joveva

Irena Joveva began her career as a political journalist in 2011 at the Slovenian Press Agency. In 2014, she was awarded the Watchdog Award for Best Newcomer and joined the editorial team of 24ur at POP TV in 2015. In 2019, following an invitation from then-Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, she entered politics and was elected to the European Parliament that same year – becoming the youngest Slovenian MEP and securing the second-highest number of preferential votes nationwide. During her first term in the European Parliament, she served as the Renew Europe group’s rapporteur on the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), one of the most prominent legislative files in the area of media policy during the 2019–2024 mandate. In the 2024 European elections, she successfully ran as the lead candidate for Gibanje Svoboda (Freedom Movement). Building on her visibility and legislative work from the previous term, she was appointed Vice-President of the Renew Europe group. She is a full member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL) and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). Additionally, she serves as a substitute member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and the Subcommittee on Public Health (SANT). Her key areas of focus include mental health, digital equality for the Slovenian language, paid internships, the Western Balkans, peace policy, anti-corruption, youth, and environmental issues.