The Slovenian Parliament has approved an initiative to hold a referendum on increasing the state's defense spending, which could hinder government plans to join pan-European efforts to strengthen security amid demands from US leader Donald Trump to increase NATO funding. This is reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.
Details
The planned referendum aims to overturn the government's decision to increase the defense budget to 3% of gross domestic product by 2030. Currently, Slovenia remains one of the NATO countries with the lowest defense spending as a percentage of its economy.
The initiative to hold a referendum was supported by the opposition, as well as two smaller parties in Prime Minister Robert Golob's ruling coalition. Although the referendum will be advisory and not binding, it deals a political blow to Golob's position, who will have to face general elections in less than a year.
European leaders are increasingly concerned about the uncertainty regarding the European Union's commitments to the US regarding increased NATO funding. President Donald Trump insists that member countries spend at least 5% of GDP on defense, of which 3.5% should go directly to military needs, and 1.5% to broader security measures, including infrastructure projects.
Prime Minister Golob emphasized in an interview with RTVSLO on Monday that Slovenia has only committed to reaching 3% by 2030, and the rest of the funding is planned to be provided through so-called "civilian projects." "All of this is already being provided in Slovenia today," he noted. "No one ever meant that these 5% should go to weapons."
The issue of defense funding has already caused cracks in the ruling coalition. Left-wing parties and social democrats accused the prime minister of bypassing their position by supporting new NATO commitments during the summit in The Hague last month.
Society is also divided on this issue. According to a Mediana poll conducted in March, about 44% of Slovenians do not see the need to increase defense spending, while approximately 40% support strengthening the military budget.
Recall
Earlier, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob called for an expansion of the definition of "defense spending," which, in his opinion, would help meet US demands for increased security spending within NATO.