“They light a fire and then call the fire brigade. Something like this is only possible in Slovenia,” wrote the President of the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS), Janez Janša, on the X network. The post was his response to an invitation from Prime Minister Robert Golob, who called a summit of parliamentary parties on Friday to discuss Slovenia’s membership in NATO and the holding of a consultative referendum on defence spending.
“The security and resilience of the country should not be the subject of daily political games,” the Prime Minister’s Office was quoted as saying by the Slovenian Press Agency (STA). They also announced a series of meetings planned by the Prime Minister in the coming days. But the reckless decisions they are serving up to the Slovenian public appear to be just that – games. The Dean of the Faculty of Law, Miro Cerar, also warned that this is a “political adventure” which could damage our international reputation.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Robert Golob will discuss the referendums on defence spending and Slovenia’s NATO membership with constitutional lawyers and the executive committee of his Freedom Movement party (Gibanje Svoboda). This will be followed on Thursday by talks with coalition partners, and on Friday, by a summit of parliamentary parties and the Italian and Hungarian national communities’ MPs. These events follow Friday’s vote in the National Assembly, which supported the Left party’s (Levica) proposal for a consultative referendum on the increase in defence spending, and the Freedom Movement’s announcement of a referendum on Slovenia’s membership in NATO. The details of the motion’s tabling and procedures are not yet known; more will be clear after the meetings.
“They light a fire and then call the fire brigade. Something like this is only possible in Slovenia. And besides, a consultation like this would be something completely normal and even mandatory before a NATO summit,” Janša responded to the announced summit, to which the Prime Minister responded all representatives of parliamentary parties, writing in an e-mail: “Dear Sir or Madam, in the spirit of open and responsible dialogue, I would like to invite you to a meeting of the Presidents of the parliamentary parties on the subject of Slovenia’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the issue of holding a referendum on increasing Slovenia’s defence spending. The meeting will take place on Friday, the 11th of July 2025 at 2 p.m., in Conference Room 70, Gregorčičeva Street 20, Ljubljana. I believe that by reflecting together, we will contribute to clear planning for the good of our country and all its citizens. I look forward to your participation.”
Following the vote on the consultative referendum on defence spending and the Freedom Movement’s announcement of a referendum on leaving NATO, the coalition is trying to calm the situation, while experts criticise these political developments.
Miro Cerar, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Ljubljana and former Prime Minister, pointed out to the state media that a consultative referendum on leaving NATO is inappropriate and ineffective, as it is not legally binding. He stressed that “the voters can only decide on leaving NATO in a so-called referendum on international relations, which is legally binding and therefore not merely consultative.” He added that such a referendum would require the support of at least 46 MPs, while a two-thirds majority would be needed for withdrawal from NATO, which he believes is unfeasible: “I don’t think anyone believes that a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly for withdrawal from NATO is possible. This is further proof that any referendum in this direction is highly questionable.”
Cerar described the recent government decisions as reckless: “The decisions and announcements regarding the referendum on NATO were made very hastily, I would say recklessly. This is a political adventure that is not good for Slovenia.” He warned that the announcement of the referendum would reverberate around the world and expressed concern that Slovenia would lose its good reputation, and he said he intends to present his concerns to Prime Minister Golob at the meeting with the constitutional lawyers on Wednesday.
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