Prime Minister Golob: “The only possible response is a unified one from the European Union”

SLOVENIA, February 3 - In his statement to the media, Prime Minister Golob said that the heads of EU Member States will discuss how the European Union should respond to future challenges, this time coming from the other side of the Atlantic. He said that the European Commission was preparing for various scenarios regarding the possible introduction of tariffs by the United States. “The only possible response is a unified one from the European Union, and Slovenia will, of course, support joint solutions,” stressed the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister also spoke about spoke about defence spending for NATO. “Slovenia has long had a very clear programme on how to meet its existing commitments to NATO. That means spending two percent of GDP on defence by 2030," he said, adding that this is Slovenia's only commitment for now. “Speculating about future defence spending is not easy. We will carefully consider the possibility of Slovenia increasing its defence spending. For now, however, we are satisfied with what we have allocated in the budget for this year and the next. This puts us on the path as planned, and thus we do not envisage an increase, at least not in the short run,” explained the Prime Minister. He added that Slovenia planned to increase its defence spending to 1.5% this year.

Prime Minister Golob also commented on calls that military projects should be financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB). “I believe that in the end this will require a unanimous decision. Slovenia does not, and will not, oppose unified solutions, but at the same time we believe that the EIB was established for other purposes and should primarily focus on the development of infrastructure in the EU and the competitiveness of the EU’s economy," he stated.

At the end, the Prime Minister also spoke about military capabilities and the development of the defence industry. “Past experience has shown that there are different views on which aspect of the defence industry should be developed. In this regard, Slovenia sees the future of the industry as being based on advanced technologies, from space technologies on the one hand, to cybersecurity and air defence on the other,” concluded Prime Minister Golob.

The discussion at the meeting will focus on strengthening closer cooperation at the EU level, particularly in terms of developing defence capabilities, financing and deepening partnerships. The informal exchange of views will also serve as a basis for the preparation of the White Paper on the Future of European Defence, which President von der Leyen announced in the Political Guidelines for the European Commission's 2024-2009 term. In accordance with the adopted Leaders' Agenda, this topic will be discussed again at the European Council meeting in June.

Members of the European Council will be joined at a working lunch by the Secretary-General of NATO, Mark Rutte, and at a working dinner by the UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer.