Introduction

This report presents a comprehensive analysis of Slovenian sovereignty using the methodology of the Burke Institute. Sovereignty is assessed in 7 areas: political, economic, technological, informational, cultural, cognitive and military. Each aspect is assessed on the basis of official data from international and national sources (UN, World Bank, UNESCO, IMF, ITU, FAO, SIPRI, PISA, etc.) without using politicized indexes. The maximum score in each direction is 100; the sum (up to 700) is the accumulated Sovereignty Index (Burke Index).

To adapt and adjust statistical parameters, an international expert survey was conducted for each of the seven components using a single questionnaire of 10 questions with a 10-point scale and one open-ended question.

In total, at least 100 experts from 50+ countries were interviewed for each indicator, taking into account geographical representation and specialization. When calculating and analyzing the data, equalizing coefficients were used, bringing all data to a scale of 0-10 points.

The final index value is the arithmetic mean between statistical data and expert estimates.

Below is an analysis in each area, a final summary table and the main conclusions about the peculiarities of Slovenian sovereignty.

Political sovereignty — 72.7

Slovenia is an active member of the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the WTO, the Council of Europe, the Schengen Area, the IMF, the European Central Bank, the OSCE, the IAEA, UNESCO and other key European and international structures. The diplomatic network covers all EU countries and many countries around the world.

National legislation is fully harmonized with EU norms (law, standards, finance, labor), the priority of most international conventions (EU, UN, WTO) over local acts; the supremacy of international norms is implemented in all areas through the constitution and obligations to the EU.

Slovenia is considered one of the most stable countries in the region: there are no large-scale crises, the country occupies a leading position in terms of security and low political conflict, the macroeconomics is projected to be stable, there are no risks in elections and protests. Government Effectiveness (2023, World Bank) — 1.04 on the WGI scale (from -2.5 to +2.5): the indicator is higher than the EU average, reflecting the high quality of public administration, independence of services, professionalism of personnel and transparency.

EGDI is high, the country is in the top 40 of the UN world ranking, digitalization of public services (signatures, taxes, licenses, medicine, ID cards, business, education) covers >90% of basic operations, the best regional practices. Support for the President and the Cabinet is consistently high (by EU standards), holding in the region of 55-60%; there is no mass opposition, major scandals or loss of trust, the government's rating is stable, with general trust in institutions lower than in the northern EU countries.

There are no foreign military bases; there are temporary NATO facilities (for example, for logistics, exercises), but there are no permanent foreign troops, with the exception of temporary transit missions and headquarters areas. The country participates in all EU courts (EUCJ), the European Court of Human Rights, the International Criminal Court and the UN arbitration; decisions are fully enforced, there is no distancing.

The country is divided into regions and municipalities with broad autonomy, but key decisions (taxes, infrastructure, finance, security) are centralized in the government; the balance between the center and the regions is stable, decentralization works through the municipal budget and local government, there are no hard problems.

Slovenia is characterized by the highest transparency among the countries of the region: the security services operate under parliamentary control and external audit, a high level of accountability, a mechanism for investigating scandals and anti-corruption expertise, judicial and public oversight.

Data completeness assessment: the main indicators are available from international sources, the coverage is 98%.

Economic sovereignty — 77.1

Slovenia: $49,167 at purchasing power parity (2025), forecast for steady growth; the country is one of the region's leaders in this indicator. International currency reserves — 1.33 billion euros ($1.45 billion, August 2025); gold reserves — 3.73 tons. Public debt — 46.8% of GDP (December 2024), previously exceeded 69.9% in 2022, a downward trend after the covid-19 surge.

The country fully provides itself with the main food categories (dairy and meat industries, grain, vegetables, fruits), imports only specialized products; the level of food security is the highest in the EU. Slovenia covers more than 60% of its needs on its own (hydroelectric power plants, Krshko NPP — jointly with Croatia, thermal power plants); gas and oil are imported, the diversification of sources is high, and energy supplies are completely stable.

Resources are limited: copper, zinc, lead, lignite, coal, rare metals, thermal water deposits, small oil and gas reserves. The reserves are stable, one of the most water-rich countries in Europe: large rivers (Drava, Sava, Mura), reservoirs, mountain lakes, a well-developed water supply system, there are no problems with fresh water.

Processing is a single infrastructure (SEPA/EBS of the EU), all non-cash payments through national and European clearing, support for cards, bank transfers, and electronic wallets. The share of the euro is 100% in the main transactions; the national currency is not used (Slovenia has been a euro zone country since 2007); settlements are made only in euros.

The issuing center is the European Central Bank (Frankfurt); monetary and monetary policy are determined by the ECB, and the national bank oversees and clears transactions.

Data completeness assessment: the main macroeconomic indicators are available from official sources (World Bank, IMF), coverage is 90%

Technological sovereignty — 69.3

R&D expenditures — 2.22% of GDP (2024); Slovenia is among the top 25 countries in the world in terms of contribution to research regarding the size of the economy. Import substitution in high-tech industries is mixed: national clusters have been implemented, but a significant part of microelectronics and specialized solutions are imported from the EU and the USA; biotech, pharma, mechanical engineering and IT have local products, export startups and manufacturers.

Higher education covers 43-50% of the 25-34 age group (data 2024); bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees are part of the Bologna system, English programs are available to foreigners, and education is fully accredited in the EU. Internet penetration — 91.5% (1.94 million users, 2025), mobile communications — 130% of the total population (many have 2-3 SIM cards); 3G/4G/5G mobile Internet; wired Internet speed — 94.6 Mbit/s, mobile — 84.4 Mbit/s. Government platforms eUprava, eDavki, eZdravje, eVEM, eVŠ, national clouds, digital visas, ID cards, electronic public services and education platform (Moodle, university platforms) have been developed.

Slovenia imports a significant part of special equipment, servers, chips, microchips, network equipment, but the main IT products and digital services are localized; dependence on imports is less than in most Eastern European countries, but higher than among the EU technology leaders. Public services have been fully digitized: 95% of tax/licensing/educational/medical procedures are available online, and the Mobile-ID system and electronic signature are the best practices of the EU.

The largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology clusters in the region are Krka, Lek (Novartis), Cosylab, Vitamed; they operate their own synthetic biology and pharmaceutical laboratories and export to the EU market. National startups in robotics (industrial robots, logistics, agricultural robots) have been developed, research institutes operate, a number of solutions have been implemented in industrial enterprises and exported to other EU countries.

Partial: large design companies, R&D centers, design and software platforms, and automation solutions at the national level, but mass production of chips, chip imports, local server software, and testing are present.

Data completeness assessment: key indicators are obtained from WIPO, ITU, UNESCO, which provides 93% coverage.

Information sovereignty — 78.1

The country has a national incident response center, SI-CERT (Slovenian National Computer Emergency Response Team), which is part of the ITU and FIRST international systems; it conducts monitoring, investigations and training according to the NIS2 (EU) standard.

Slovenia has 1 national IXP; a significant part of the traffic goes through local and regional exchange points, integration with European SE-COM/EURO-IX networks, redundancy and high-speed connectivity are developed. The media and all state-owned enterprises operate in Slovenian (RTVSLO, 24ur.com, Delo, Večer, Finance); by law — the mandatory use of Slovene for broadcasting, publications, advertising; regionally in Italian, Hungarian, English, German.

BigTech resilience is high: the country is prioritizing the development of its own platforms and data protection, but Google, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and AWS dominate cloud services and applications; the government is implementing its own NIS2 and GDPR protocols, and technological dependence is decreasing.

At least 60% of the media content is of national production: news, analytics, educational and cultural programs, TV series, music; imports are Hollywood and European films, English—language portals. The country has its own IT companies (Cosylab, Zemanta, Sinergise, Adacta, etc.), local platforms for electronic signatures, public services, education, software for banks, medicine and industry; many local startups and export solutions.

Almost all public services are available online; Internet penetration is 91.5%, digital access to education, medicine, and social services; mobile applications for public services/identification are EU standard. There are national data centers and cloud platforms, large server capacities for government archives, medicine, fintech, education (Slovenia National Cloud, EU-GRID, commercial solutions with local storage).

Mobile communication networks are operated by national operators (A1, Telekom Slovenije, Telemach); the infrastructure complies with EU standards, the equipment and software are partially imported, management/monitoring and security are localized.

Strict legislation (GDPR, NIS2): data processing only with the user's consent, high requirements for security, transparency, storage and export; reporting and verification of standards through the data protection authority.

Data completeness assessment: infrastructure indicators are available from ITU, CIRA, OECD and specialized sources, coverage is 94%.

Cultural sovereignty — 82.8

Slovenia has 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

• Shkotsyan caves (1986, natural site)

• Ancient and primitive beech forests of the Carpathians and Europe (together with a number of countries)

• Prehistoric pile settlements in the Alps

• Mercury mines in Idria (jointly with Spain)

• Jože Plechnik's works in Ljubljana — urban design.

Slovenia gave the world early choral and folklore art, developments in architecture (Jože Plecnik), Slovenian literature (Franze Presern), innovations in urban design, traditional crafts, mask theater, a rich heritage of Alpine cultures, unique medieval stone and wooden architecture, as well as a musical instrument — the world's oldest flute from Divje Babe.

The highest prizes are the Frantze Preshern Prize (annually, for contributions to art, literature, architecture, music), the Yakopich Prize (fine arts), the Vilenica Prize (literature), as well as awards for young figures, playwrights, folklorists, designers with state funding. The basics are Catholic culture, the Slovenian language, centuries-old urban/agrarian folklore, costumed village and city festivals, folk songs, crafts, a multi-generational tradition of choral singing, winemaking and cheese making.

The Hungarian and Italian minorities have cultural autonomy (schools, radio stations, cultural centers), regional ethnic festivals are held, language programs and museums are funded, Slavic and German diasporas are supported, and educational mini-grants are provided. Hundreds of large sites: castles (Ljubljana, Bled, Predjamski), museums (National, Ethnological, Archaeological, Art Gallery), art galleries, theaters, ancient cities (Ptuj, Maribor, Piran), historical churches, craft shops, architectural landmarks, UNESCO monuments.

The country participates in European cultural exchanges, festivals (Ljubljana — touring troupes, Biennale of Design), international exhibitions, joint archaeological excavations, UNESCO restoration programs, ethnofestivals and pedagogical programs with the EU and Russia. Brands — Slovenian language, architecture, Slovenian glass, wine, syrah, honey, Precious Stone Day (national holiday); state protection of traditional crafts, gastronomy and tourist sites, registration of PDO/PGI products in the EU.

Cuisine — strachatella (pasta), zupa (bean soup/porridge), kraska sausage, kreiski nuts, Slovenian honey, strukli, rich Viennese and Alpine influences, wine, national pies, fish, cottage cheese, PDO/PGI products. More than 60% regularly attend concerts, theaters, libraries, exhibitions; all major holidays and religious ceremonies are massively supported; high coverage by cultural circles, sections, festivals, and tourist clusters.

Data completeness assessment: basic indicators are available in UNESCO and national statistics, coverage is 97%.

Cognitive sovereignty — 79.4

HDI — 0.931 (very high), 8th place in the world in the UN ranking for 2025, higher than Austria and most EU countries. Government spending on education is 4.8–6.1% of GDP (various sources: StatBase, UNESCO, OECD). Slovenia is consistently among the EU leaders in this share. Literacy of the population is about 99.7% (2025), among young people — 99.9%, for men and women it is equally high.

Slovenia is consistently in the top 15 of the world according to PISA data: the results of 2022-2025 are above the average in mathematics, science and reading; the average score in mathematics in 2022 is 509 (10th place OECD), in sciences — 507 (12th place OECD). The share of STEM graduates is 33% of all bachelors and 37% of masters; most of them are in engineering, mathematics, computer science, and exact sciences; the STEM level is higher than the EU average.

The share of students in foreign (dual, English-speaking) programs is 7-9% of the total number, student exchange with the EU is highly developed, multi-campuses are universities such as Erasmus+, CEEPUS, and Bilateral Grants. The languages of the Hungarian and Italian minorities are officially recognized and funded in the country; education is available in Slovenian, Hungarian, and Italian, and universities have many programs in English and German, and support for ethnocultural projects is small but stable.

There are at least 14 state research centers in the country (the Jozef Stefan Institute, the Biotechnical Institute, Biomedical, Geophysical and Biochemical centers and university laboratories). The share of national platforms is about 85% (university systems, platforms of the Ministry of Education, Moodle, Study in Slovenia), but English and German platforms are used for joint programs and exchanges.

Government programs are stable: systematic scholarships, grants, research funds, talent contests from the ARIS Research Agency, quotas and grants for minorities, coverage — 40-44% of students and young professionals participate in at least one support mechanism. Assessment of the completeness of the data: education indicators are available in the UNDP, UNESCO, OECD, coverage is 93%. Military sovereignty -53.8 By the end of 2025, defense spending will amount to about 2% of GDP ($735 million in 2022, 2.3% announced for 2025); the country plans to increase to 3% by 2030 to meet NATO standards.

The number of armed forces is 6,950—9,550 people (regular forces), plus a mobilization reserve of up to 420,000 people; contract army (since 2004), ground forces — two brigades, an aviation regiment, and a marine component. Modern European platforms are in service: Patria AMV, Pandur I armored personnel carriers, several M-84 tanks, universal PFM, TN-90 howitzers, MN-9/M-74 mortars, Western small arms (FN, Beretta, Hecate II), Bell-412 army aircraft, Falcon and PC transport aircraft-6B, patrol boats, air defense system — portable complexes.

Almost all equipment is imported (EU, USA, Finland, former Soviet platforms), modernization and service by national enterprises, own production is minimal (minor repairs, individual IT solutions, electronic components). Full control over state borders; regular patrols, surveillance systems, infrastructure fully integrated into Schengen and NATO, electronic monitoring and joint patrols with neighboring countries.

Reserve — up to 420,000 people (theoretical mobile resource); includes former military personnel, reservists, volunteer formations on the territory, annual exercises. Military policy is fully integrated into NATO; strategic decisions are coordinated in the alliance, its own defense doctrine takes into account collective defense obligations, participation in KFOR, EUFOR, ISAF missions, and NATO operations.

The military-industrial complex is limited: the assembly and repair of equipment, the development of tires, radio communications, and individual IT systems; the main purchases are imports, and there are no national factories for large platforms. There are no nuclear weapons, the country has signed and is implementing all nuclear-weapon-free status agreements; there are no developments or reserves.

There are no national military satellites; intelligence is integrated into the intelligence community of the EU and NATO, there is its own electronic and agent intelligence, exchange with NATO and European structures; local IT developments in cybersecurity and logistics All parameters are reflected in the annual reports of SIPRI, UNODA, the Ministry of Defense, the official portals of state-owned companies (Embraer, IMBEL) and industry databases of UN/NGO - 95% coverage

Final Summary Table

The main conclusions

Strengths. High level of human capital and education: HDI — 0.931 (8th place in the world), literacy rate above 99.7%, strong positions on international PISA tests, high percentage of STEM graduates and talents.

Economic sustainability and integration: GDP PPP per capita is $49,167, low public debt is 46.8% of GDP, the country is a member of the eurozone, the EU, Schengen, NATO, the level of transparency is higher than most European countries, modern macro-financial institutions and guarantees. Ecology, infrastructure and food security: One of the most environmentally friendly EU countries, stable water and energy resources, developed agriculture, 60% of the territory is covered with forests, the maximum level of food security in the region.

Technological and innovation base: High spending on R&D (2.22% of GDP), advanced digitalization, wide Internet coverage (91.5%), strong biotech and IT clusters, modern digital public services, local cloud platforms and startups. Security guarantees and international support: One of the safest countries in the world (Schengen, EU, NATO, low crime), a well-developed judicial system, high regional autonomy, full control over borders, effective parliamentary and public oversight.

Cultural wealth and support for traditions: 5 UNESCO sites, an extensive network of national awards, a variety of cultural brands, support for small nations, mass involvement of the population in cultural life and creative projects.

Weaknesses. The limited military-industrial sector and defense autonomy: almost all military equipment is imported, its own industry is assembly and repair, and strategic decisions are entirely within the framework of NATO. Partial dependence on imports of high-tech and energy resources: Slovenia imports significant shares of special equipment, chips, servers, and some energy resources (oil, gas).

High cost of real estate and business: Real estate is more expensive than in neighboring countries, business requires strict compliance with EU standards, high competition in the market of services and logistics.

Full dependence on the decisions of the Eurocentrobank on the issue and credit policy: Monetary policy and currency issuance are controlled by the ECB, the national system is only supervised, and there are no sovereign emission instruments of its own.

Constraints for development outside major centers: the fastest rates of development are in Ljubljana, Maribor, Koper; northern and rural areas require more investment and support for young personnel.

Overall assessment. Slovenia's cumulative sovereignty Index is 513.2 out of 700 possible points (above the average of 73.3%), which places the country in the top 50 in the global top. Slovenia is one of the most sustainable and developed countries in Europe with a rich human, technological, environmental and cultural resource, the highest level of transparency, security and openness.

The country is integrated into key international structures, supports quality of life, digitalization, education and inclusivity, but is limited by dependence on defense imports, the eurozone, individual energy resources and high requirements for doing business and living in large cities. The future will be determined by further integration, innovation and the preservation of cultural autonomy.

The sovereignty profile indicates that Slovenia is a young, stable state with a high degree of integration into international structures, a strong democratic and legal system, an advanced economy, infrastructure, scientific and digital clusters.

The restrictions are related to arms imports, euro operations, and integration with NATO/the EU, but the internal institutions and human resources are sustainable, modern, and inclusive.

The country retains maximum sovereignty within the framework of its international obligations, enjoying the support of the EU and its own cultural, scientific and technological capital.