By: C. R.
In light of today’s informal meeting of several European leaders on European defence and Ukraine, Janez Janša wrote that the team from the times of the “Golden Age has reunited in search of solutions for the current crisis situation”. Unlike back then, when Janez Janša attended the meeting, this time Slovenia, under the leadership of Robert Golob, did not receive an invitation.
In addition to Starmer, Zelensky, and von der Leyen, the summit is expected to be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as well as the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also confirmed his participation, and leaders or senior representatives from Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Turkey, and Romania will also be present.
In the following statement, Janez Janša reveals the key measures that, in his opinion, the EU must adopt to prevent an even deeper crisis.
The world is, unfortunately, as it is – not as we would like it to be. Our actions must be based on a realistic picture.
The team from the “Golden Age”, when common sense prevailed in the EU despite differences and expansion, has reunited to seek solutions to the current crisis situation. Among the participants were former European Commission President and Portuguese Prime Minister José Manuel Durão Barroso, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Council in 2008 and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, former Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, former Slovak Prime Minister and President of the Wilfried Martens Centre Mikuláš Dzurinda, former Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, former Polish Prime Minister Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, former Estonian Prime Minister Juhan Parts, former Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, and numerous experts from various fields.
In my opinion, Europe must finally wake up and do both of the following:
- Rapidly and significantly strengthen the defence capabilities of member states and effectively integrate research, development, and production capacities for modern weaponry, cybersecurity and defence capabilities, and civil protection.
- Regulate transatlantic relations with the USA, because the war in Europe (Ukraine) is not the only strategic security risk. Moreover, due to years of neglect and reliance on the USA, Europe’s military power cannot be increased overnight. If this is not possible, the urgent implementation of the measures listed under point 1 is existential.
There is no need for significant cuts in the existing European way of life due to increased defence spending. Most of the necessary funds can be gathered by:
- More efficient and coordinated use of defence budgets,
- Ending subsidies for certain unreasonable “green transition” measures,
- Abolishing funds for financing woke projects at home and abroad,
- Securing the EU’s external borders, stopping illegal migration, and consequently reducing related expenditures,
- Reducing so-called development aid for underdeveloped countries, as the security and prosperity of our people is the priority,
- Redirecting unspent billions of euros from EU funds.
Janez Janša