Golob, leader of the liberal Freedom Movement, presented two options to parliament: maintaining membership and assuming rising costs, or leaving the military alliance, as anything else is deceptive populism, the president stated, according to the Euractiv website.
According to local experts, the initiative seeks to counteract the opposition’s government, as the Left is demanding a referendum on increasing defense spending to three percent of GDP by 2030 (€2.1 billion), and the Social Democrats support the proposal along with the conservative opposition.
Meanwhile, parliament has already approved the referendum on funding (46 votes in favor versus 42), deepening division with the government coalition.
The measure follows the signing in June of the agreement with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to achieve five percent of GDP for defense by 2035, after failing to meet the two percent target by 2024 (promised for 2025).
Likewise, the issue fueled social unrest over prioritizing military spending over social needs, a proposal to be formally debated next week.
Analysts point out that with these actions, Golob seeks to capitalize on public skepticism, as only 37 percent support NATO, according to Eurobarometer, a series of surveys conducted periodically by the European Commission since 1973.
The referendum could redefine the geopolitical balance in the Balkan region, while Brussels monitors the case for its potential domino effect.
jdt/oda/amp
