Slovenia will however not try to gets funds for a second track toward the port of Koper in the second round of CEF applications as initially planned.

Slovenia initially planned to apply in the second call for funds to finance the planned second rail track between Koper and the inland hub of Divača, a project estimated at EUR 1.4bn.

Infrastructure Minister Peter Gašperšič said in early October that the second call would be intended for "softer projects".

This came as a surprise, after the project did not make the first CEF list in June and there was talk of another opportunity in the autumn.

The Infrastructure Ministry said in a press release on Thursday that Slovenia would apply for funds to upgrade the Celje-Zidani most railway.

EUR 7.6bn is available to EU member states as part of the second CEF call for applications with which the European Commission expects to attract additional EUR 15bn in private investments, Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc told the press in Brussels on Thursday.

The funds are intended for projects involving innovative transport and projects creating synergies with other priority fields of the European Commission, such as a single digital market.