Prime Minister Golob: "Our commitment is 2% of GDP this year and 3% of GDP by 2030”

In his media statement before the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister first expressed gratitude to everyone who worked overnight to extinguish the fire in the Begunje area of Gorenjska. "I would like to thank all the firefighters and volunteers for their night-time intervention and for effectively and selflessly combating the fire,” he said.

He added that good preparedness of the protection and rescue system is crucial for the security and resilience of the country. "True resilience of society is shown in how we respond to each disaster. The protection and rescue system, including the firefighting, is the area where Slovenia, together with like-minded countries, has succeeded in expanding the concept of defence and security also within NATO. The funds that were discussed yesterday will also be available to support precisely these resilience programmes," he emphasised.

He also explained Slovenia's operational commitments at yesterday's NATO summit in The Hague. "The only operational commitment that Slovenia has made so far is the one from the resolution already approved by the National Assembly: two percent of GDP for defence spending this year and then a gradual increase to three percent by 2030," he explained.

He added that upon his return to Slovenia, he would convene a meeting with coalition partners to inform them in detail about the negotiation process and also the next steps. "We will discuss how to prepare an action plan that clearly defines where the funds will be allocated and where we will invest over the next five years in order to achieve the set goals," he said.

Prime Minister Golob announced that the European Council will also discuss the issue of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel at today's meeting. "One of the topics of today's meeting is the Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel. I intend not only to initiate a discussion on this topic, but I also want this discussion to be as in-depth as possible," he said. He added that the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, had very clearly determined that there was a violation of Article 2 of the Association Agreement, meaning that Israel is violating human rights. "The least we expect is a freezing of the trade part of the agreement. We will see how the discussion develops, but we will insist on this. We also have some support from other like-minded countries," said Prime Minister Golob.

He also expressed deep concern over the EU's inadequate response. "I fear that as the European Union, we can no longer speak of respect for the rule of law, as our response to the atrocities in Gaza is completely inadequate. Therefore, my opinion is that we should have acted much more decisively in the past," he said. "Our position is clear: if the European Union is not able to take concrete measures today or within two weeks at the latest, individual Member States, including Slovenia and some like-minded countries, will be forced to act on their own. And we are prepared for that. Our solidarity is not just words, but also actions – in this case, actual pressure on the Israeli government," Prime Minister Golob stated clearly.
 
At the end of his media statement, the Prime Minister added that today's meeting will also address the competitiveness of the European Union, which is being prepared by the European Commission.