Under the relevant regulation, the rural development funds must be paid out to the beneficiaries by 31 December 2015.

Agriculture, Forestry and Food Minister Dejan Židan told the press after an agriculture ministerial in Brussels that the system was much less friendly than the EU's cohesion policy, which allowed the payment of funds for an additional year.

Slovenia wants an extension as this would simplify the implementation of its agriculture policy, he added.

He added that the Agency for Agricultural Markets must process more than 700 motions worth a total of EUR 76.8m by the end of the year, of which more than 540 worth EUR 55.7m have not yet been filed.

The filing deadline is 30 June and at least 40 motions will not be filed in time, said the minister.

Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Phil Hogan is not against the extension, but must convince European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to support it, according to Židan, who asked PM Miro Cerar to convey Slovenia's position to Juncker.

However, even if the extension is not approved, the funds will not be lost; they could be used to support agriculturally less favoured areas.