As part of the rescEU project, Romania and Germany are currently stockpiling a common European reserve of such equipment, but EU plans involve six such facilities.

Speaking after a session of NATO defence ministers, Tonin said hosting such a centre was strategically important in the event of a new crisis since it was better that such equipment was stored on Slovenian soil than far overseas.

RescEU works like a common European reserve of emergency medical equipment, such as ventilators, protective masks and laboratory supplies to help EU countries face the coronavirus pandemic.

The Commission finances 100% of the purchases, while member states warehouse the equipment and are responsible for procuring the equipment with the support of the Commission.

The Slovenian government announced a few weeks ago that it would request aid via this mechanism, but the EU Commission is yet to receive a formal request.

Tonin said that some had raised eyebrows about the decision to request assistance since Slovenia was a success story when it came to fighting coronavirus.

But the government realises that this was just the first wave and that a second wave is probably coming, according to Tonin.