Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob addressed MEPs during the seventh This is Europe debate on 13 December 2022.
He underscored the power of European unity, cooperation and solidarity when facing challenges such as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the energy crisis.
He said the EU needs to tackle high energy prices and implement a regulatory framework that will reduce speculation on the energy market for the benefit of consumers.
The green transition is the only way forward to address energy autonomy and climate change, he said, with the benefits of bringing lower prices. With ambition on renewables and infrastructure the EU could make a significantly leap forward, he added.
Golob expressed his steadfast commitment to the rule of law in Slovenia and other EU member states, and to media freedom, and said it was imperative to fight hate speech and fake news financed by special interests and political opponents.
On enlargement, he emphasised the need to stabilise the Western Balkans, increasingly under pressure from the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine to propaganda and influence, and further integrate them into the EU. He expressed his strong support for giving candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina and giving a European perspective to their citizens, which would in turn bring positive change to the country.
In their reaction to the prime minister’s speech, MEPs welcomed Slovenia’s European commitment and welcomed his engagement on energy policy, the green transition and Western Balkans enlargement. Some MEPs raised concerns about media freedom and rule of law in Slovenia.
Watch President Metsola’s introduction and Prime Minister Golob speech here.
You can watch the full debate here.
Background
This was the seventh “This is Europe” debate to take place at the European Parliament to discuss with EU leaders their visions for the future of the EU; previous iterations have featured Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (in March), Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (in May), Ireland’s Taoiseach Micheál Martin (in the first June plenary), Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković (in the second June plenary) Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (in July) and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin (in September).
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