Slovenian government crisis: Golob plans NATO referendum!

Slovenian government crisis: Golob plans NATO referendum!

Slowenien, Slowenien - The political situation in Slovenia has dramatically worsened. After a parliamentary defeat, the Slovenian freedom movement, led by Prime Minister Robert Golob, initiated an energetic counter stroke. On July 5, 2025, the parliament voted for a consultative referendum on defense spending, a decision that reveals profound tensions within the coalition. Golob's freedom movement withdrew from the negotiations and voted against the proposal for the referendum, which underlines the divergences between the government parties. Smaller coalition partners have merged with the conservative opposition in order to help the legal request to be a majority, which is considered a further distrust signal to Golob's leadership style.

defense spending and national security

In the context of the current geopolitical tensions and the obligations of NATO members to increase defense spending by 2035 to five percent of gross domestic product, Golob emphasizes the central role of NATO for Slovenia's national security. These obligations were decided with a broad parliamentary majority and fundamentally encounter support from the population. The new defense course is above all a reaction to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, which exacerbates the security situation in Europe.

NATO membership offers Slovenia the opportunity to strengthen its position in the international community. According to the information from nato.gov.si , the NATO accession has been worked intensively for a decade. The accession would not only strengthen Slovenia in terms of military cooperation, but also form an integral part of euro-atlantic cooperation.

public discussion and sensitization

In the past two years, a comprehensive program to sensitize the public about NATO membership in Slovenia has been carried out. Currently, public discussions are under the motto "At home in Europe, certainly in NATO", which aim to inform the population about the advantages and necessity of NATO accession. In view of the political tensions and the upcoming referenders, these discussions are increasing in importance.

The challenges in front of which the Slovenian government and NATO are facing are diverse. The pressure on the Member States is growing to increase defense expenditure, which was decided as part of the NATO summit. However, these fundamental changes in the defense area do not remain without resistance within a country, the political landscape of which is currently in change. Kosmo reports on the deep ditches in the coalition, especially with regard to defense policy and the foreign policy course. The next steps could be crucial for the political future of Slovenia and its role within NATO.