Prime Minister Golob: Resilience means having access to food, health care, and adequate infrastructure

SLOVENIA, February 4 - “All of this unfortunately means that this will become our constant, some say new reality. And responsible leaders, which you in this hall certainly are, do not run away from such a reality, instead they face it and look for opportunities in it,” the Prime Minister addressed the attendees.

He continued by emphasising that the European Union is seriously aware of the aforementioned challenges and that a whole series of strategic debates are being held on this topic. “As a solution to these challenges, one phrase keeps coming up, that being ‘strategic autonomy’,” he said, adding that he discussed this with European Council President António Costa yesterday during a telephone conversation ahead of the leaders’ informal meeting next Thursday.

“Odpornost (resilience), the term we use in Slovenia, can only work when we are sufficiently strategically autonomous, when we have access to resources, when we have access to materials, when we have access to knowledge and technologies,” Prime Minister Golob further explained the meaning of strategic autonomy. As an important example, which he and the European Council President addressed during their conversation, he cited the European automotive industry, which in recent decades has been able to organise itself so as to remain globally competitive and that the whole of Europe has gained much from it.

“The only way for an open economy like Slovenia’s is to base its competitiveness on knowledge and courage,” Prime Minister Golob continued. “If anything, we Slovenians have repeatedly shown that technology is not alien to us. That we know how to develop the best, even world-class, solutions, that by knowing how to connect, our solutions can find success worldwide as well. And it is precisely the connection between our industries and the state that can provide the key to solving these challenges,” the Prime Minister was clear.

The Prime Minister emphasised the importance of the conference, which connects the Slovenian Sovereign Holding with the business environment and enables the search for solutions for the global competitiveness of the industry. “The state will also support this through its budgetary policy, which it has already proven not only by investing in defence spending, but above all by investing in knowledge, technology, innovation, as well as in other resilience policies. Resilience is much more than just weapons. Resilience is having access to food. Resilience is having access to health care. Resilience is having the adequate infrastructure, access to communications and also to space,” he emphasised.

The Prime Minister wished attendees successful participation in the conference, inspiration for finding new business ideas, and successful discussions on how to realise those business ideas as quickly as possible. “We, the representatives of the state, will be glad to listen to you. I wish you success in work and happiness,” concluded Prime Minister Robert Golob.

The Dual-Use Slovenia 2026 conference is organised by the Delo media house in co-organisation with the Slovenian Sovereign Holding and the DOVOS company. It is intended for all stakeholders who play a key role in the development and transformation of the Slovenian economic and innovation ecosystem in the context of dual-use technologies, both civilian and defence.