Strategic Initiative

The European security environment has undergone significant changes in recent years. Geopolitical tensions, the war in Ukraine, increasingly frequent hybrid threats, the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, and the accelerated digitalisation and electrification of defence systems are presenting EU Member States with new challenges in ensuring security, resilience and operational readiness.

In this context, a reliable and resilient energy supply is becoming an increasingly important factor in the operation of modern defence systems. In response to these challenges, Slovenia, through the Slovenian Energy and Environment Partnership in Defence (SiEnE), has developed the Strategic Initiative of Slovenia to establish Energy Resilience as a key defence capability.

The Initiative represents the next step in the development of Slovenia’s cooperation model, based on close collaboration between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia (Si MoD), the SiEnE Partnership, Slovenian companies, research organisations and other development partners. An important role in this ecosystem is played by TECES, the innovation cluster of green technologies, which, as the coordinator of the SiEnE Partnership, brings together national stakeholders and coordinates and participates in numerous European research, development and innovation initiatives.

This cooperation model has enabled Slovenia to take a more active role in initiatives of the European Defence Agency (EDA), the European Defence Fund (EDF) and other European research, development and innovation programmes. The new Strategic Initiative builds on this model, with the ambition of further integrating Slovenia’s expertise and experience into the European strategic dialogue and contributing to the development of future European priorities and new forms of cooperation in the field of Energy Resilience.

The first major platform for implementing the Strategic Initiative will be SIDEC 2026 – the International Defence Exhibition and Conference, where Slovenia aims to connect European strategic dialogue, Slovenian development capabilities, and European research, development and innovation programmes and projects, while fostering the development of new European initiatives and partnerships.

Further information on Strategic Initiative of Slovenia to establish Energy Resilience as a key defence capability, including its background, objectives, proposed activities and opportunities for further national and European cooperation, is available in the full document via the link below.

Strategic Initiative of Slovenia