The Slovenian army tightens the screw
The small Slovenian army tightens the screw for 2009 and reduces by 20%
its budget (1). The planned budget for 2009 of 631 million euros will thus be reduced to 589 million euros. Even 552 million euros. Indeed, it was necessary to increase the envelope
devoted to treatment (20 million euros).
As a result, the savings made mainly on modernization and investments (60 million euros), the operation of the army (35,2 million euros) and administrative costs
of the ministry (4,7 million euros). In concrete terms, several items would be affected: training, equipment maintenance costs, co-investments in infrastructure,
international cooperation and some purchases (including the number of 8x8 off-road vehicles).
"A dramatic reduction, according to the spokesman of the SDS (centre-right opposition party), chairman of the Defense Committee, Jožef Jerovšek, quoted by my colleagues
Slovenian Sta (Slovenian News Agency). "We have become the poorest country in NATO".
(1) It is not the only one, moreover - it is almost the case in all European countries. I had already talked about it here. But he
seems that most countries are still revising their budget forecasts downwards (with the crisis settling in for a long time).
(photo credit: the Minister of Defence, Ljubica Jeluši?, during a "Kfor" exercise of the Slovenian army)
