Officially, the potential investor into the EUR 75m project is Austrian horticulture company Herneth Gartenbau.

Lendava deputy Mayor Stanko Gjerkeš, who coordinates the project, told that "Günther Herneth has been in Lendava several times with the aim of his company setting up in cooperation with Ikea Europe the greenhouses and logistics centre" there.

Gjerkeš added that Herneth had also presented the investment to the Economy Ministry and that state-controlled energy company Petrol had been involved in the activities as geothermal energy and gas were available in the direct proximity of the land in question.

He expects that the zoning plan could be ready by September or October, meaning the construction of the greenhouses could start at the beginning of next year to secure around 600 jobs.

Herneth Gartenbau KG, based in Graz, is one of Austria's largest horticulture companies, employing 180 workers on 20 hectares of land.

The Swedish giant Ikea, which does not yet have a store in Slovenia but is planning one in Ljubljana in the near future, is among Herneth Gartenbau's leading customers.

The investment would mean a lot employment-wise for Lendava, as unemployment in the region stood at 19% at the end of last year.

It is believed that the municipality could not secure all the workers needed and that many would come from nearby towns in Hungary and Croatia, where the minimum wage is half the EUR 800 gross in Slovenia.