Alma Mater Europaea University and Katedrala svobode have organized a roundtable, Consensus and Dissent in a Historic Moment.
The event was dedicated to discussing the topics opened by the extensive publication "Consensus for a Historic Moment," published in March 2025, which features more than 800 pages of in-depth reflections on the challenges of the modern era.
Following the welcome address by the rector of Alma Mater Europaea University, Prof. Dr. Ludvik Toplak, who emphasized that Alma Mater Europaea University wishes to contribute to a free, open, and future‑oriented Slovenia, and stressed,» Our motto is It’s about the human being, which is why we open questions that society often pushes aside. These include geopolitical tensions, technological advancements, environmental concerns, and cultural disparities. The panel guests shared their perspectives on the world during a pivotal period. They shed light on where we as a society can find consensus and how to confront the divergences that shape our future, both globally and in Slovenia.
The moderator of the discussion, emeritus professor of moral theology and longtime lecturer at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Ljubljana Dr. Ivan J. Štuhec, said at the outset: »Phenomena of disparaging facts related to independence, shifts in international relations, and the unabashed falsification of facts on some social networks coincide with the end of the post–Cold War era, or herald a new Cold War. One of the more important questions is how Slovenia and the European Union will respond to the upheaval that occurred with the democratic election of Donald Trump as President of the USA. Economically, the challenge will be to keep up with the new ambitions and developmental effectiveness demanded by the competition between the USA and China, i.e., the new self-confidence of the USA. Another such question is the relationship between the USA and the European Union. Of course, Slovenia will not have much influence on them. Still, international tensions will affect Slovenia, confront its leadership with unforeseen challenges, and perhaps open opportunities for faster resolution of Slovenia’s internal predicaments.
The President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, Marko Lotrič, emphasized that the EU and Slovenia are once again facing a historic choice regarding their future. »Before our eyes, a new international order is emerging. If the European Union, and with it Slovenia, wants to remain a co‑shaper, it will have to strengthen strategic sovereignty, internal cohesion, and the ability to act decisively,« Lotrič said. He emphasized the importance of a competitive European economy, technological superiority, innovation, and consistent respect for the rule of law. He warned that enthusiastic reliance on European institutions is not sufficient: »Blind trust in the EU makes no sense, but we also strengthen it as a small country. We are safe in a larger community, but the EU will have to streamline decision‑making processes and formulate a clear defense and security policy,« he stressed.
Lotrič also emphasized that knowledge, science, technological breakthroughs, and a strong economy are crucial for Slovenia’s future, as without them, there can be no stable education, healthcare, or pensions. Among the priorities he listed are artificial intelligence, digitalization, robotics, modern digital infrastructure, and closer cooperation between universities, institutes, and companies. »If we want young people to stay in Slovenia, we must offer them quality education, well‑paid, demanding jobs, and an environment where knowledge is valued,« Lotrič stressed, also highlighting for Slovenia’s future the necessity of decentralization and balanced regional development.
»The political sphere is often too burdened with ideological divisions. We must respect history, not abuse it for today’s disputes. Politics must solve people’s concrete problems, such as work, housing, healthcare, and dignified aging,« Lotrič further emphasized, and he particularly highlighted the role of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia as an institution of dialogue that connects different interest groups and parts of Slovenia.
Diplomat, politician, writer, professor of the sociology of culture and art, and a member of the management board of Katedrala svobode, Dr. Dimitrij Rupel emphasized: »Today’s problem in the world is not the relations between Slovenia and China, but the relations between the European Union, the United States of America, China, Russia, and perhaps India. This is a game of the great powers. We are small, and on our own, we will not achieve much if we do not know how to position ourselves appropriately within the context of the European Union and NATO.
I see the solution in Slovenia connecting more firmly to the European Union and in the European Union more decisively and forcefully taking on the role of a global player. Without the European Union becoming a significant factor on the world stage, it will be challenging to ensure equal conditions for stable political relations and the like.
Independence is one of the fundamental values of our country; the establishment of the Slovenian nation‑state is, one might say, a kind of untouchable sacred thing. Something we should not avoid or attack. When it is attacked, we should act decisively.
Trust in the state can be strengthened through the uncompromising, everyday implementation of democratic principles and meritocratic standards, as well as through the consistent rejection of autocracy and illiberal or anti‑liberal policies. In the international community, we should connect exclusively with democratic allies, which also means supporting friendly regimes, especially those targeted by hostile autocratic interventions and pressures.
Slovenia must urgently examine and assess the future relationship among Germany, Russia, and China, and strengthen those departments and representations that deal with the USA, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, and the Visegrad Group. Europe alone will not be able to withstand pressures from the East, so it must strengthen the NATO alliance and cooperation with the USA.«
Dr. Federico V. Potočnik, an Argentine Slovenian, infectious disease physician and innovator in healthcare, who, after studying medicine and management at Stanford University, works at the Celje General Hospital emphasized: »A conscious decision is needed to actively take over the emergence of parallel worlds and deliberately build our own parallel worlds in which we will once again feel comfortable and be able to develop freely in directions that our communities will find common. This means abandoning state central planning and taking our destiny into our own hands. We must strengthen the seriousness of the state inward so that we can act seriously outward.
Slovenians have regions. We are Dolenjci, Gorenjci, Štajerci. This means that we only need to implement them, as they are part of our identity. We do not define ourselves as Ljubljana–East or Maribor–3. There are many different ways to divide the country, and each approach is distinct: foreign, administrative, and statistical. Everything is somewhat mixed together, which makes an individual’s identity somewhat fragmented. Therefore, I believe that regions must exist, and in a way that corresponds to who we are, just like in Austria. Austrians have had the same areas with the same regional identity for a thousand years, and I think we deserve that too.
How very poorly our country manages to operate abroad. The generation that made Slovenia independent knew how to establish a state. We, however, did not know how to transfer that knowledge to them. This is evident today in foreign policy, where some politicians exploit the state system for their own needs.”
Prof. Dr. Žiga Turk, full professor at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, an expert in digitalization, information modeling, and the social impacts of technologies, said in the discussion: »After the shift in the USA, it appears that extraordinary times are returning. The election of Donald Trump could mean that 2025 will have significance for the end of liberal democracy, similar to that which 1989 had for the end of socialism and communism, and 1945 for the end of fascism and Nazism. The world may be entering a new era. In the best case, it will open opportunities for shifts that have not been possible since the last significant compression of history around 1989. Slovenia must be ready to seize this moment. In the worst case, the chaos coming from the USA will force us to.«
»You need three things for things to function at least somewhat. First, you must have the correct values. Second, you must have the right elites—in the sense that the best rise to the top and lead. And third, institutions are needed: what bodies and establishments we have and how we are organized as a society. The Slovenian problem—what would need to be fixed if an opportunity presented itself in these extraordinary times—is that we carried over all three aspects of the previous system with minimal changes. The most minimal possible. Many who are at the top today, economically or politically, would be there even if the system had not changed at all. And those who were in power 70% of the time in Slovenia would probably be there 100% of the time if the system had not changed.«
