By: Spletni časopis
After SDS president Janez Janša sharply criticised the absence of the country’s top officials from key international meetings in an interview for Planet TV, Robert Golob’s government responded with an official explanation.
But neither the prime minister nor any of his four deputy prime ministers reacted personally. The deputy prime ministers are Luka Mesec, Tanja Fajon, Matej Arčon, and Klemen Boštjančič. The press release was issued by UKOM, the Government Communication Office. The main point of contention concerns negotiations over EU funding and the Three Seas Initiative summit.
Janša: Slovenia is absent from the places where money is being allocated
In his conversation with Luka Svetina, Janša warned that Slovenia could suffer irreparable damage at a time when informal but crucial talks on the EU’s new seven‑year financial framework are taking place. According to him, informal meetings such as the one in Cyprus are where the real direction of funding distribution is set.
“In these negotiations, once something is agreed, that phase is over. Slovenia was represented by the French president. I doubt he represented our interests,” Janša said sharply.
He added that current proposals foresee a 13% reduction in funds for Slovenia, even though the overall EU budget is increasing, a critical starting point, in his view, that would require the prime minister’s presence.
Government: Deputy PM Boštjančič represented Slovenia in Dubrovnik
Responding to Janša’s criticism regarding the Three Seas Initiative summit in Dubrovnik, where, according to him, neighbouring Croatia was signing billion‑euro projects while “Slovenia was nowhere to be seen”, the government issued a public statement.
The government explained:
- Competence: Participation in the Dubrovnik summit primarily falls under the responsibility of President Nataša Pirc Musar, not Prime Minister Golob.
- Representation: Since the president could not attend due to other commitments, she forwarded the invitation to the government. Slovenia was therefore represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič.
- Results: Slovenia, together with other countries and the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed a memorandum for a new fund expected to unlock at least two billion euros of investment in the region.
The statements
Janša criticised the country’s top officials, claiming they were taking too much holiday time, saying: “The problem is that important international meetings are taking place where Slovenia is absent. Negotiations on the next seven‑year EU financial framework are underway, and according to the initial proposals Slovenia is losing the most, yet we are not present at these informal talks, which are the most important. The Three Seas Initiative is taking place in Dubrovnik. Neighbouring Croatia is signing billion‑euro projects there. No Slovenian president, no Slovenian prime minister is present, and great damage is being done.”
The government responded:
“Due to numerous misleading claims in recent days regarding participation at the Three Seas Initiative summit in Dubrovnik, we clarify that participation falls under the responsibility of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, not Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob. Since the president could not attend due to other obligations, she forwarded the invitation to the government. The summit was therefore attended on Slovenia’s behalf by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Klemen Boštjančič, who highlighted the importance of regional cooperation. Slovenia, together with four other countries and the European Investment Fund (EIF), also signed a memorandum establishing a new fund expected to unlock at least two billion euros of investment in the region.”
Janša then reacted to the government’s response as follows:
“Everything is true. Both @nmusar (primarily) and PM Golob preferred to go on holiday rather than to the places where they were officially supposed to be.”
