Frontrunners in their categories were public utility Žale, energy company Elektro Maribor and the Novo mesto hospital.

"The situation in Slovenia has been improving, which has been acknowledged by the European Commission. But unfortunately the PRSPO committee did not find an organisation that would meet the highest standards for the award in the past year..." Samo Kopač of the Economy Ministry's Metrology Institute said on Tuesday.

Žale was the finalist in the category of organisations with 250 or fewer employees in the public sector, while Elektro Maribor and the Novo mesto general hospital achieved the best result in the category of public sector organisations with 250 or more staff.

All three were found to have successfully implemented the EFQM European model of excellence last year and were to receive EFQM certificates at tonight's ceremony.

But the Novo mesto hospital rejected the honour, arguing that the hospital's result had been the same as in 2011, meaning that no progress had been made. Moreover, the hospital finished 2015 in the red.