The country has not accredited the system yet and is thus not eligible for repayments from the EU budget for EU-funded projects.

Slovenia has to set up the system to be able to get funding from the Cohesion Fund, the Regional Development Fund, the Social Fund, the Youth Employment Initiative and the Fisheries Fund.

Until it does, Slovenia will have to pay for EU-financed projects in the 2014-2020 budgetary framework from the state budget. So far, there have not been that many payments, the state had to provide EUR 20m or 0.7% of all payments, which it has mostly covered from the EU advance of EUR 90m.

The Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy confirmed news portal Siol.net's report about the letter by Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Regional Policy Corine Cretu and Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella.

It has, however, said that Slovenia was by no means an exception as only around a quarter of the 314 operative programmes for the implementation of the cohesion policy had been accredited so far.

On the other hand, the office noted that the procedure was taking quite a while and that it is putting all its efforts into concluding it.

Slovenia has EUR 3.2bn available in EU funds in the common 2014-2020 budget.