By: G. B., P. J., C. R.
After it became clear that NATO member states would have to increase their defence budgets, a rift emerged within the coalition. The Minister of Defence, Borut Sajovic, even spoke a few days ago about allocating five percent of Slovenia’s GDP for defence purposes.
In this context, the government also prepared a resolution. However, on Friday, at the Economic and Social Council, trade unions and employers did not agree with the government’s proposed resolution, which envisions raising funds for defence and security policy to 2 percent of GDP this year and to 3 percent by 2030.
The government has publicly emphasised that the funds will primarily be used for “dual-use” purposes – for example, healthcare and infrastructure – and not for purchasing weapons, armoured vehicles, drones, or the industries that produce them. However, Spletni časopis reports that these are low ambitions. Agreements within the EU and NATO are moving toward countries raising their defence spending to 5 percent of GDP, of which 3.5 percent would go directly to defence, while the rest could be for dual-use purposes. Defence Minister Borut Sajovic told POP TV the following when asked whether these higher percentages will be upheld: “Can you imagine that we would not reach an agreement and oppose it right at the finish line? No. The open question is whether it might be better to choose a ten-year period instead of a seven-year one ending in 2032. And of course, there are still some issues to settle. But the common goal is, in the end, logical, expected, and I believe necessary.”
Europe is increasing defence expenditures because the United States is no longer willing to bear the costs of European security, while Russia, with its ongoing attempt to occupy Ukraine, which has now lasted over three years, has triggered a major war on European soil. Russia has also been heavily militarising for a long time, which increases Europe’s future defence risks.
At the request of coalition MPs (notably, Levica MPs are not among the signatories), the National Assembly will hold an extraordinary session next Thursday to discuss the not-yet-ambitious-enough long-term programme for the development and equipping of the Slovenian Armed Forces through 2040, which has not received the green light from the Economic and Social Council.
Resolutions are merely political statements and not legally binding. Parliament often adopts and changes them in the field of defence. One was adopted in 2021 and replaced with a new one in 2023. Now, within just a few years, it is about to be changed for the third time – and even that seems insufficiently ambitious. When it comes to financial commitments, the text so far has stated:
The new proposal is as follows:
This will likely still need to be amended, reports Spletni časopis.
The real consequences, however, will come only with changes to laws and the national budget.
Defence committee supports the resolution
The National Assembly’s Defence Committee today supported the proposed defence resolution, which foresees an increase in spending on defence and security policy. MPs from the Freedom Movement Svoboda emphasised the changed geopolitical situation. The Levica party, which submitted the proposal to hold a consultative referendum on increasing defence spending, believes that Slovenia is not truly under threat.
Defence Minister Borut Sajovic emphasised that the changed geopolitical conditions require enhanced defence readiness and resilience both at the national level and within NATO and the EU. According to Sajovic, the government is aware of “the seriousness of the changed security environment” and therefore wants to act in a state-building and responsible manner.
He stated that the resolution foresees increasing funds for defence and security policy to 2% of GDP this year, and then gradually to 3% by 2030. According to Sajovic, the current plan for a slower and smaller increase in funding “no longer reflects the actual security situation due to years of underinvestment in the defence system and is significantly insufficient to meet the planned national goals and projects in defence, security, and resilience.”
Committee members from Svoboda expressed support for the resolution during the debate. MP Aleš Rezar of Svoboda said that, given the geopolitical situation, even more funding should be allocated to defence and security policy.
Levica MP Matej Tašner Vatovec, who presented the proposal for a consultative referendum on increasing defence spending at the committee, was highly critical of the resolution. “We are not truly under any real threat,” he said.
Levica calls for a referendum
Levica submitted a proposal to hold a consultative referendum on increasing defence spending. The head of the Levica parliamentary group, Matej Tašner Vatovec, stated during today’s session of the Defence Committee that they made this decision because there has not been a broad public debate on the increase in defence spending.
Vatovec reminded that the committee had decided at an urgent session in April that an inclusive public debate on the increase in defence spending would be held. However, the government organised a consultation in the National Council involving primarily supporters of militarization.
Vatovec also pointed out that recent public opinion polls indicate that Slovenian citizens overwhelmingly do not support increasing defence spending. As he said, “This undermines the legitimacy and democratic nature of the decision.” Therefore, Levica believes that before any final decision is made on this major and socially significant issue, the citizens should be consulted. Vatovec emphasised this in a media statement.
In his view, they have many like-minded people on this issue, “at least 50% of the adult population.” They are proposing a consultative referendum because they believe that “as a society, we are still largely committed to what is written in our constitution, that our defence is based on the principles of peace and politics.”
“I do not think our society needs more militarization right now,” Vatovec stressed. He added that we should focus on how to ensure peace – which requires more diplomacy and dialogue at home and internationally, not more weapons.
“We are talking about 20 billion euros over the next 10 years,” he emphasised, “which could be spent on social issues, on how to make our society more solidary and thereby more resilient.” According to Levica, the greatest current threats to citizens’ security are the environmental crisis, healthcare system issues, and the housing crisis. “For us, this dilemma is very simple: we need to invest in people, not weapons,” Vatovec concluded.
Levica has drafted a proposal for a consultative referendum with the following question: “Are you in favour of the Republic of Slovenia increasing defence spending so that by the year 2030 it will amount to 3 percent of the gross domestic product annually, which is currently approximately 2.1 billion euros?”
At the end of May, the government agreed to the draft resolution on the general long-term development and equipping programme of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) until 2040, and today it was also supported by the Defence Committee of the National Assembly.
The proposal foresees increasing funds for defence and security policy to 2% of GDP this year, and then gradually to 3% by 2030. It also foresees expanding territorial forces following the model of the former Territorial Defence and treats national security comprehensively. In addition to the modernisation of the SAF, it includes strengthening the national defence industry and contributing to the overall resilience of the country. This includes projects with so-called dual-use purposes.