Kos and Golob on the challenges of EU security and enlargement for insisting on liberal values

Ljubljana – European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, in a discussion in Ljubljana, pointed out the challenges in EU enlargement and security. We must not give up democracy for the sake of security, but rather take away from populists the weapon of fear, Golob believes. Kos also warned about destructive external forces. Both see the answer in insisting on liberal values.

The Commissioner from Slovenia and the President of the Slovenian government, in a discussion on EU enlargement as a geopolitical necessity organized by the largest Slovenian ruling party Svoboda, warned that the existence of European values is being put to the test. “We are faced with the fact that we are dealing with autocrats who want to harm our European Union or even destroy it. For the first time in history, we are in a situation where enlargement is not taking place only in the relationship between the European Union and candidate countries, but we also have external destructive forces that want us not to succeed,” Kos warned.

Both, also in light of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Slovenia, highlighted cyber threats and recalled several recent cases of external interference in the internal political situations of individual countries. Golob assessed that in Slovenia as well, such attempts can be expected in the coming months, and it is up to society how it will be able to recognize these matters and act upon them.

According to Kos, there is also concern that autocrats are exploiting democratic values to destroy democracy. Preparing countries to join the EU is crucial precisely for defending these values. The EU cannot afford to accept into its ranks members that would weaken it, but rather they must strengthen it.

Golob also agreed that the “selfish interest” is not economic, but security-related. Because of the latter, we must never give up democracy, which is what populists want to achieve by arousing and stoking fear, he said.

In his assessment, one of the challenges is how to achieve a Europe with such a developed immune system that it will itself eliminate “populists, autocrats and all those who are in fact against European ideas.” Kos further assessed that the EU is facing the question of what to do so that it can become a superpower with a different kind of game. The answer, in her opinion, is precisely to persist in liberal values. (4 December)