Matjaž Merkan, the chairman and CEO of the state-owned telecoms incumbent Telekom Slovenije, has resigned after less than two months on the job effective immediately.

2TDK, the state-owned company managing the construction of the new rail track between the port of Koper and the Divača hub, has announced a two-stage tender process for the EUR 1bn-plus project. Bids are scheduled to be opened on 20 December and, absent major issues with appeals, construction could start in the second half of 2020.

Agriculture Minister Aleksandra Pivec announced for the STA on Thursday that she would run for the leader of the Pensioners' Party (DeSUS) at the election congress in January, thus challenging DeSUS long-standing leader Karl Erjavec, the defence minister, to fight for the top position.

The government adopted on Thursday an action plan that lays the groundwork for accepting persons of Slovenian descent who have asked for repatriation from Venezuela. A total of EUR 1.2 million has been set aside for a project that has been months in the making.