This was the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit, bringing together 36 countries that are already using nuclear energy or planning to start investing in its development. Prime Minister Robert Golob attended the first part of the session, at which heads of state presented their national statements and adopted a final declaration.

In his address, Mr Golob initially stressed that global warming is one of the biggest threats to humanity and that we must do everything in our power to decarbonise all sectors, the energy sector being the priority. "Slovenia is planning to decarbonise its electrical industry by 2040. There is only one way to achieve this – with a combination of ambitious renewable energy plans and increased nuclear capacities. Slovenia has been a nuclear country for 40 years and we have nothing but positive experience when it comes to energy safety," said the Prime Minister.

Mr Golob went on to say that five areas must be addressed. "As politicians, we must put nuclear safety first, and there must be no compromise here. If we managed the facilities in a completely safe way, we will be able to secure the public’s support. That is another area that needs addressing," said the Prime Minister, adding that public support for nuclear energy in Slovenia has never been so high. "More than 65% of Slovenia’s population is in favour of it."

The third area, according to Mr Golob, are the costs of financing nuclear energy facilities, ensuring that new facilities have access to multilateral banks and financial institutions at the lowest interest rates. The fourth area are supply chains, which are relevant in the light of global instability. "Due to crises and wars around the world, global supply chains must be strengthened," said the Prime Minister.

As the fifth and final area, the Prime Minister stressed the need to recruit the right people. "Most of the world's nuclear facilities are more than 40 years old, which means that the most experienced workers are largely retired. We need to secure and invest in a skilled workforce as soon as possible. This is another challenge that politicians must not ignore," said Prime Minister Dr Golob.

Mr Golob agreed that nuclear energy is the future. "We need to act now if nuclear energy is to play a real role in our future," the Prime Minister concluded.

In the final declaration, the leaders underlined their commitment to nuclear energy as a key component of a global strategy to tackle the climate crisis, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the energy and industrial sectors, ensure energy security, increase energy resilience, and promote long-term sustainable development and access to clean energy. They called on financial institutions to finance nuclear energy in the light of energy access, energy security and climate priorities. The summit also aimed to stimulate an international debate on nuclear energy in conjunction with industry, financial institutions and research centres.

Slovenia has already taken an important step towards nuclear energy. On the initiative of Prime Minister Golob, the Svoboda, SD, Levica, SDS and NSi deputy groups have drafted a joint question for a consultative referendum on the project of a second unit of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NPP 2), which, together with other low-carbon sources, would ensure a stable supply of electricity. NPP2 is a strategic national project that transcends parties, a single government and a single term of office. Based on the commitment in the Coalition Agreement, citizens will be able to decide on this in a referendum, which is expected to be held this year. Nuclear energy combined with other renewables can provide Slovenia with a long-term stable electricity supply, and it also plays a key role in achieving climate targets.