Several villages in the Ilirska Bistrica area have been under water for more than a week now and while the water level is subsiding, more rain is forecast and problems are again expected on Saturday night and Sunday.

Pahor, who visited the villages hit hardest, commented on the general flooding problems in the country, saying that the damage could have been mitigated had the right measures been taken in the past.

He said that the civil protection service and the army have been doing an excellent job, but that the force of nature had been underestimated after the terrible flooding in 2010, "which we believed could only happen every 100 years".

Pahor added that it has been agreed with PM Miro Cerar and Finance Minister Dušan Mramor that the current situation is taken into account in the drawing up of the budget for 2015.

"Despite the difficult financial circumstances, the state will execute the measures that experts are recommending as inevitable," he said.

Because of the emergency situation Pahor cancelled his trip to London, which he planned to start today. He was to hold a number of working meetings today before attending Saturday's UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying match between Slovenia and England.