Commenting on the projection that Slovenia would be the only EU member aside from Cyprus to remain in recession next year, Andrej Širclej said it showed the government's economic policies were totally misguided.

"The forecast shows the policy that isn't about spending reduction - either of budget expenditure or other costs in the public sector - is a policy of ruins. Such a policy can lead to chaos," he said after Brussels downgraded its forecast for Slovenia to a 2.7% contraction for this year and a further 1% fall in 2014.

Šircelj argued that the government had been doing little more than raising taxes, something that he said was not a solution. As the most recent instance of "nonsense" he cited the real estate tax, which the government expects to net EUR 400m a year, including the revenue of municipalities.

He said this was the sum the state would have to invest to recapitalise Factor banka and Probanka, two small private banks that are in the process of supervised liquidation, thus making "happy" everyone who collaborated with them.

Šircelj moreover argued that privatisation was stalled because the Slovenian Sovereign Holding as the single custodian of state assets is still not operational. Unless companies are restructured, bank restructuring would not help, which meant the crisis could repeat in a worse form over next five years.

The MP wondered what the Commission's projections meant for the budget for the coming two years that parliament will be adopting next week, considering the figures differed.

He wondered whether Slovenia could do any worse considering the government's policies and measures and urged Bratušek to think over whether the PM's shoes were too big for her. "The situation is not looking up. If she thinks she isn't fit to lead the country out of the crisis, she'd better consider resigning."