Prime Minister Golob: "We cannot build a stronger Europe with weapons alone."

In his doorstep statement ahead of the meeting, the Prime Minister stressed that Europe was facing a complex political reality requiring a united approach. "I am confident that today in Europe we will succeed in preserving what makes us the strongest – our unity," he said.
He went on to say that today's meeting of European leaders would address two key issues. "The first one being Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and how to preserve our unity in the search for peace. We will take note of new proposals on how to find a formula for a ceasefire and then for peace," he explained.

The second focus will be on strengthening defence and security. Prime Minister Golob said that he had held a number of consultations this week, both at home and with foreign leaders. "The consultation with Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez led to a broader definition of defence and security. We were able to broaden this definition to cover resilience in general, which includes tackling the climate crisis, migration flows and cyber security." Only in this way, by addressing all issues in a comprehensive manner, according to the Prime Minister, will we be able to build a more resilient and secure Europe, which is actually the main objective.

Furthermore, he stressed the importance of making Europe more resilient. "Europe must stand on its own two feet. Only by building a more resilient Europe will we be able to make the world a better and more peaceful place," he said. "We cannot build a stronger Europe with weapons alone. We need to address this problem in a comprehensive manner, buying weapons is only one component. It is equally important that we strengthen all other policies that increase resilience and security," he added.
The Prime Minister went on to stress the importance of effective investment in defence, security and resilience. "The most effective solution is to build our own industry, including Slovenian, but above all European industry, to invest money for dual-use purposes, that is to strengthen logistics, health systems and science," he said.

Prime Minister Golob concluded by commenting on an increase in defence spending. Unfortunately, the political reality in the world dictates that more will have to be spent on defence and security. He added that the level of defence expenditure was not a matter for the European Union, but for NATO that will discuss this at its June summit in the Hague. Before then, the proposal will be presented to the Government, the National Assembly and the general public.