A bronze statue of Melania Trump was sawed off at the ankles and stolen this week in the first lady’s native Slovenia, police said. 

The statue replaced a wooden one that was erected near her hometown of Sevnica in 2020 at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term after it was targeted in an arson attack. 

Both statues were a collaboration between Brad Downey, an artist from Kentucky, and a local craftsman, Ales “Maxi” Zupevc. 

The original figure, made of wood and cut from the trunk of a linden tree, portrayed the first lady in a pale blue dress, similar to the one she wore at Trump’s 2016 inauguration.

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The new statue was placed on the same stump as the old one and modeled after the previous design. In July 2020, Downey said the statue would be made “as solid as possible, out of a durable material which cannot be wantonly destroyed,” according to The Guardian.

Slovenian police spokesperson Alenka Drenik Rangus said Friday that police were investigating after the vandalism and theft were reported Tuesday. 

Franja Kranjc, a worker at a bakery that sells cakes with the first lady’s name in support of her, told The Associated Press the rustic likeness wasn’t well liked. 

Only the ankles remain of a Melania Trump statue that was sawed off and stolen, Slovenian police said.  (AP Photo/Relja Dusek)

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“I think no one was really proud at this statue, not even the first lady of the USA,” Kranjc said. “So, I think it’s OK that it’s removed.”

Zupevc said he and Melania Trump were born in the same hospital, which partly inspired him to create the design. He carved the statue with a chainsaw and sanded it with a power tool. 

The statue was a rustic likeness of the first lady.  (Getty Images)

“I plugged in my angle grinder. … I worked and made mistakes … finished the hair … the eyes and all. Then, I called my brother, who said, ‘Spitting image of our waitress.’ And so it was,” Zupevc said during a documentary film by Downey on the making of the original statue.

A plaque next to the statue says it is “dedicated to the eternal memory of a monument to Melania which stood at this location.”

Born Melanija Knavs in nearby Novo Mesto in 1970, the first lady grew up in Sevnica while Slovenia was part of the Communist-ruled former Yugoslavia. An Alpine nation of 2 million people, Slovenia is now a member of the European Union and NATO.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen presented his simplification plan for the agricultural sector during a meeting organised by Euronews.

The European Commission unveiled the plan, which aims to simplify the European Union’s agricultural rulebook, on Wednesday in Brussels.

The measures are designed to reduce what the Commission sees as unnecessary administrative burdens in implementing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the EU’s farming subsidy framework.

Hansen believes the proposed strategy should serve all stakeholders. The plan, therefore, aims to reduce the administrative burden for farmers and member states.

“What is felt to be an administrative burden on the farm is not only the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy), but also environmental legislation, health legislation, and often national or regional legislation, so I think that everyone must contribute to reducing this bureaucracy,” Hansen explained.

This simplification plan could potentially save farmers up to €1.58 billion a year and the national authorities €210 million. The package of measures is aimed in particular at organic farming and small farms, which play an essential role in rural areas’ economic activity.

The plan proposes exemptions from environmental rules, also known as conditionalities. Hansen points out that this package aims not to reform the sector, but to adjust certain rules.

For example, Hansen said, “If grassland remains in place for more than five years, it becomes permanent grassland. This is a devaluation of this farmland because it can no longer be used as arable land. After four years or so, farmers plough to preserve this status.”

“For me, it’s more valuable if the grass stays for seven years rather than five. So this is environmental progress. It’s the applicability (of the rules) that changes,” he added.

Flexibility and financial support

The European Commission also wants to help small farmers obtain financial aid and make their farms more competitive. The institution is considering an offer of up to €50,000.

Hansensuggested digitalising the sector, mentioning, for example, a digital portfolio to facilitate checks.

“I, as a farm, have my digital wallet and if the water authority needs to know something about my land, they can turn to that wallet,” Hansen explained.

Hansen further reiterated his desire to make the profession attractive again and to help professionals.

“It’s very important that we reduce the stress on our farmers, because at the moment it all depends on the Member State. They have to deal with five, six, seven controls a year, which causes enormous stress for our farmers,” Hansen insisted.

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“That’s why we also want to reduce these controls, and the member states are also obliged to act. We want to reduce the number of checks to just one a year,” he added.

Environmental NGOs believe that the plan threatens the agricultural sector’s green objectives. Hansen, however, rejects this criticism and emphasises that he is responding to the concerns of farmers, who have repeatedly protested against overly restrictive European regulations.

Yet, this simplification plan is only the first step. The European Commission intends to present new measures later this year.