By: Dr Metod Berlec
At the summit in The Hague on June 25th, the leaders of NATO member states confirmed in the final statement an agreement to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP by 2035. Of this, member states will allocate 3.5 percent for basic defence needs and to meet NATO’s objectives, while the remaining 1.5 percent will be intended for so-called dual use.
Among the signatories of this ceremonial statement was also the Slovenian Prime Minister, Robert Golob. Yet just five days later, after the so-called mini coalition summit, Golob, under pressure from Levica, SD, and quasi-pacifists, began to claim that what was signed in The Hague was merely a political declaration and not a legally binding document. He also asserted that the Republic of Slovenia is bound only by the defence resolution adopted by the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, which foresees an increase to 3% of GDP by 2030. As he candidly stated, the coalition will strictly adhere to that commitment, “from there on, it is an entirely new negotiation and an entirely new story.” In short, he ceremoniously signed something in The Hague as Prime Minister that he has no intention of honouring, thereby further damaging Slovenia’s credibility within the alliance. At the same time, the president of the opposition SDS, Janez Janša, proposed to Golob that, in accordance with Article 117 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, he tie a vote of confidence in the government to the vote on calling a consultative referendum on defence spending. “Let’s see what is real. The Prime Minister claims the coalition is united, yet two-thirds of the coalition support a referendum that the government opposes.” Golob rejected the proposal, and so came Friday, July 4th, 2025, with a surprising outcome. The National Assembly adopted Levica’s proposal to call a consultative referendum on increasing defence spending with 46 votes in favour and 42 against. It was unanimously supported by SD, SDS, and NSi. Golob then, in an offended tone, announced a proposal for a consultative referendum on Slovenia’s withdrawal from NATO. The president of SDS quickly clarified the situation, stating that Slovenia will not leave NATO, since such a move requires a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, which the ruling parties do not have. However, a serious debate on the rational use of defence funds is certainly necessary.
In short, once the proposal for a consultative referendum on defence spending was adopted, members of GS, SD, and Levica began shouting that Janša was to blame for the approved referendum, accusing him of trying to topple the government. But they conveniently forgot that they themselves had caused the entire situation through their actions. The fact is that Levica and SD are taking an even more populist stance against armament because they fear Vladimir Prebilič entering the party-political arena ahead of the elections. At the same time, they are quite fond of holding power, just like Golob. Thus, the manoeuvre by SDS and NSi exposed all the hypocrisy and misery of those in power.