What is known about key European Commissioner for Ukraine who once expressed friendship with Russia
On 17 September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented her new team for the European Commission. These politicians, one from each EU member state, will serve as "special ministers" of the European Union for the next five years, if confirmed.
A completely unexpected appointment was the Slovenian candidate Marta Kos as the Commissioner for Ukraine and the future EU enlargement. She was included on the list at the last moment and had not even completed the full approval procedure in Slovenia at the presentation of the new European Commission.
Read more about Marta Kos and whether her appointment is positive for Ukraine in the article by Maria Yemets and Sergiy Sydorenko of European Pravda – For Ukraine or friendship with Russia? Introducing Marta Kos, the 'main Ukraine person' in the new European Commission.
Based on the brief biographical sketches, 59-year-old Marta Kos can be described as a former journalist and communications specialist, who was appointed as an ambassador without diplomatic experience but was eventually forced to leave diplomacy for politics and business consulting.
Marta Kos is also the sister of Drago Kos, a well-known international anti-corruption expert who has also been involved in Ukrainian reforms.
In 2013, Marta Kos unexpectedly became a diplomat.
The right-wing government of Prime Minister Janez Janša in Slovenia (this detail is important) resigned then, and the center-leftists came to power, nominating her for the position of ambassador to Germany, where she had served for four years. In 2017, as part of a rotation, Marta Kos was appointed as Slovenia's ambassador to Switzerland.
She was forced though to leave her new post early, in 2020, after several conflicts. Her critics claim it was due to complaints about her treatment of subordinates, while Kos herself says it was due to differences in views with the leadership.
In 2020, Janez Janša returned as Slovenia's prime minister.
Three-time PM Janša and the current nominee for EU Enlargement Commissioner, Kos, are open rivals.
Slovenian journalists say that Marta Kos played a role in Janša’s defeat in the 2008 parliamentary elections. Even more significantly, her brother, the aforementioned anti-corruption expert Drago Kos, was one of the key figures pushing criminal charges against Janša and his associates in the so-called Patria Case.
The case led to the second fall of Janša's government in 2013 (yes, Marta Kos was unexpectedly appointed as an ambassador without diplomatic experience back then).
After stepping down as an ambassador, Kos entered national politics. In 2022, she became the vice president of the social-liberal Freedom Movement, led by current Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, while also serving as his foreign policy advisor.
In 2023, Kos had a falling out with the party and left its ranks in support of the then-Minister of the Interior in Golob's government, who had resigned.
Marta Kos's name emerged at the last moment in discussions about the future composition of the European Commission. It seems that a key role here was played by the "gender ultimatum" of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The main grounds for criticising Marta Kos are doubts about her stance on Russia, Ukraine and rumours of her cooperation with the Yugoslav secret service.
At the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, she expressed the desire to maintain good relations between Slovenia and Russia.
When asked whether Ukraine should join NATO, she gave a vague but highly sceptical response regarding the likelihood.
However, labeling Marta Kos as "pro-Russian" would be unfair. She later clearly expressed support for Ukraine.
European Pravda sources suggest that Kos and von der Leyen are well acquainted and share friendly relations. Reportedly, Ursula von der Leyen is confident that Marta Kos will be on her side regarding Ukraine. That's why she reserved Ukraine's post for her.