Emissions from traffic remains the most problematic area for Slovenia, Silvo Žlebir explained, adding that while emissions in this area had been rising steadily in the past, the economic downturn was now helping to bring them down.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, Slovenia must reduce its emissions by 8% until 2020 compared to the base year of 1986.

Žlebir said that Slovenia now appeared on track to achieving the goal, although a final assessment would likely be known next year.

In traffic, Slovenia had witnessed an increase in both the number of vehicles on the road and distances driven from 2005 until 2011, as public transport continued to lose importance. But the trend has now began to turn around due to the effects of the recession.

Matjaž Česen of the Jožef Štefan Institute, Slovenia's leading science body, said that data show that little progress was being made in energy efficiency in car use, while there was more progress among heavy vehicles.

Meanwhile, industry has already gone a long way to helping Slovenia achieve its Kyoto targets due to decay, restructuring and other systemic measures.