The municipalities also want the government to prepare a special law that would provide a temporary relief to the municipalities' budgets.

The municipalities fear that the government is planning a new, 10% cut to capitation funding and several other changes as part of the 2013 and 2014 budgets that would impact the municipalities' financial capacity. This would directly affect the lives of residents, the Association of Municipalities and Towns (SOS) said.

A similar concern was raised yesterday at a meeting of urban municipalities in Koper. Planned cuts would threaten the municipalities' liquidity, lower their investment potential and subsequently limit the ability to draw EU funds, the municipalities warned.