Talking to the press after their meeting in Brdo pri Kranju, the pair also expressed support for a common EU solution to the refugee crisis.

"But until the solution is defined and implemented effectively it is vital that we apply solutions going in that direction," Cerar said after the meeting.

The prime minister believes that this spirit is also evident from the solution he proposed to other EU leaders earlier this month, under which member states would provide aid not only to Greece but also to Macedonia.

He believes these measures to be a vital part of efforts to preserve the Schengen zone.

Tusk underlined in his statement Slovenia's "role in the process of restoring Schengen" and thanked the country for its "initiatives aimed at better coordination among the Western Balkan countries ... Thank you for being tough and responsible at the same time, adequately to the situation."

Before arriving in Slovenia in the evening, Tusk visited Vienna. "Our talks this evening as well as my talks with Chancellor Faymann in Vienna earlier today focused on how we carry out the decisions of the last European Council."

"Two weeks ago leaders unanimously agreed that we need to get back to a situation where all member states fully apply our common rules; including the Schengen Borders Code."

"To get back to Schengen, three elements are key," said Tusk, listing the need for coordination among member states, help to countries facing humanitarian crises, especially Greece, and the need to make the EU-Turkey plan work in order to "significantly reduce the inflow of migrants to Europe via Turkey".

"Europe is ready to do its part. At the same time we expect a more intensive engagement from our partners to avoid a humanitarian disaster. I will raise this with Prime Minister Davutoglu and President Erdogan in Turkey later this week," Tusk said.

Tusk will remain in Slovenia overnight, visiting in the morning the Dobova refugee reception centre on the border with Croatia alongside Cerar.

He is touring the countries of the Balkan migration route ahead of the EU-Turkey summit scheduled for Monday.