"The issue of Ljubljanska banka (LB) and ratification of the Croatian Accession Treaty is a serious problem, there is no dilemma," Erjavec told a debate broadcast by TV Slovenija that featured the leaders of all parliamentary parties bar the largest two, the Democratic Party (SDS) and Positive Slovenia (PS).

He responded to Igor Lukšič of the opposition Social Democrats (SD), who warned that despite the political crisis in the country and the possibility of a snap election an absolute priority for the country was to ratify Croatia's Accession Treaty.

Erjavec warned of the danger of Croatia failing to join the EU as a full-fledged member on 1 July should Slovenia fail to endorse the neighbouring country's Accession Treaty.

"If [Croatia] misses that deadline, it could happen it will never be a full-fledged member of the EU," Erjavec said, adding that the EU was no longer interested in enlargement at the moment because the bloc had too many problems of its own.

"This is why my job at the moment, being aware of the danger of an early election, is to try to solve that problem. I have a very detailed plan and if everything runs as it should, I believe we can get everything ready by the end of February so that the National Assembly can ratify the Accession Treaty."

Erjavec said that Slovenia's only condition was for the Croatian government to withdraw its authorisation for lawsuits against the LB and its successor NLB over Yugoslav-era savings deposits at Croatian courts "and I think we have a technical solution."

The foreign minister pledged that he was ready to work with the financial expects from Slovenia and Croatia and his Croatian counterpart Vesna Pusić "for days so that we can find a solution".

"Because if that does not happen, Croatia will resent Slovenia for years as being the one who prevented Croatia's accession" to the EU, Erjavec said, promising that reaching a solution with Croatia would be his priority even as an outgoing minister performing caretaker function ahead of an early election.