The 13-kilometre motorway between the village of Draženci and the Gruškovje border crossing will be built in two segments with work expected to complete by the summer of 2018.

The first, some seven kilometres long segment, will cost EUR 56.2m and will be built by a consortium headed by construction company SGP Pomgrad. Works are expected to start in mid-August.

The Motorway Company (DARS) is currently looking for a contractor for the second segment of the motorway, the cost of which is to be capped at EUR 75m.

Also present at the contract signing in the village of Videm pri Ptuju today was Infrastructure Minister Gašperšič, who expressed the wish that the final segment of the 2,300 kilometres of motorway between Hamburg and Thessaloniki be built as soon as possible.

"This is undoubtedly an important motorway segment for Europe, so these 13 kilometres were certainly not something we could be proud of," the minister said.

The signing of the contract comes a year after Gašperšič upset locals by suggesting in parliament that the 13-km Draženci-Gruškovje section was not a priority given the lack of funds.

The minister said today he had merely wanted the ministry to get more EU funds for the project. The EU will now contribute 10% more than originally planned, he noted.