Janez Janša: EU must honour commitments to enlargement candidates
At the 21st Bled Strategic Forum Janša said enlargement is a strategic choice and urged the EU to keep its word while tackling security, resilience, demography and credibility.
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša warned that the European Union must deliver on promises to candidate countries and said enlargement of the EU to the Western Balkans and the Eastern neighbourhood is a strategic decision for the continent.
Speaking at the opening of the 21st Bled Strategic Forum, Janša argued that enlargement is not a favour to applicants but a long-term investment in Europe's shape and future. He urged the EU to keep its word while also underlining that candidate countries must meet required conditions.
On the risks of inaction he was blunt: "If the European Union does not expand, someone else will do it, to our detriment," Janša said, framing enlargement as part of wider geopolitical competition.
Four strategic tests
Janša listed four strategic challenges that will determine Europe’s future role: security, resilience, demography and credibility. On security he pointed to Ukraine as a warning and defended the principle that borders cannot be changed by force.
"Ukraine is a warning for us that everything is at stake. Ukrainians are defending not only their territory, but also the principle that borders cannot be changed by force and that peoples have the right to choose their future," Janša said. He added that a just peace must preserve Ukraine's sovereignty and European future, warning that rewarding aggression would set a dangerous precedent.
Janša also called for reducing strategic dependencies — in energy, critical minerals, semiconductors and supply chains — and for building trustworthy partnerships, diversifying supply lines and strengthening strategic capacities. He warned that Europe's pre-war energy dependence on Russia showed how efficiency without resilience can become a vulnerability that others exploit.
On demography he stressed that low birth rates and ageing reflect whether young people trust the future and can afford homes and careers. He dismissed illegal migration as a substitute for demographic policy and advocated secure borders and lawful, selective migration adapted to economic needs.
Finally, on credibility he said influence grows through alliances and by keeping promises. "We increase our influence by building alliances, as reliable partners, and by keeping the promises we made. The same applies to Europe," Janša said, concluding that Europe’s ability to shape change is built over years but the moment to act can come suddenly.
Photo: press material from the event
