This contravenes earlier reports that Slovenia would not be able to do so without Hungary's participation.

Leben, who coordinates the project, spoke to the press after hosting a Hungarian delegation headed by Lazslo Mosoczi, deputy state secretary at the Ministry of National Development, to discuss infrastructure projects.

The state secretary said that the meeting was not about negotiations on Hungary's participation, with the country planned to chip in EUR 200m for the project currently estimated at around a billion euro.

He added that the negotiations would start once and if the Foreign Policy Committee okayed the government initiative to conclude a bilateral agreement with Hungary. The committee will meet on 6 February.

Leben said he had acquainted the delegation with the decision of the Public Finance Oversight Commission to call on the government to halt the talks with Hungary until the committee confirms the initiative for the bilateral agreement.

The commission has also called on the government to draft a plan to construct the second track between the port of Koper and the Divača hub without a capital investment from Hungary.

Leben noted that the European Commission had confirmed Slovenia's "plan A", adding that if a strategic partner pulled out from the project Slovenia would need to compensate for the missing funds itself from the budget or another source.

"We know that the budgets for 2018 and 2019 are closed. If we needed to secure money from the budget, then we would not be able to implement other projects," said Leben, pointing to expressway and bypass road projects.

Leben, who was in Brussels last week, said that the ministry was in talks with the European Commission on the wording of a contract for financing from the Connecting Europe Facility blending call, as part of which Slovenia has been awarded EUR 109m for the project.

"Slovenia's position is that the wording be made so that we would still be able to draw EU funds even if our strategic partner pulls out of the project," he said, assessing that the procedure will take place "somewhere until April".