"We will propose to the [EU] Commission this evening to meet this week," Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Jure Leben said after voters failed to back a referendum motion against the law on Sunday.

The government will strive to secure funding that the EU has already allocated for the project but which was frozen due to the referendum procedures.

"We'll do everything to unfreeze these funds so that any future government may responsibly pursue the project with all available financing sources," he said.

The Commission has so far released EUR 44m for preparatory works, which are already being drawn by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency, another EUR 109 has been suspended until the law takes effect.

Leben said talks with Hungary, whose proposed role as a financier of the project was one of the reasons for the referendum, would also continue as soon as possible.

"I'll inform the Hungarian side in the morning what the situation in Slovenia is," he said, hopeful that a date for a meeting could be agreed soon.

Leben said the outgoing government will do everything it can so that preliminary construction works can start "before the election," which will be held on 3 June.