Addressing reporters after the government session, Agriculture Minister Dejan Židan said the articles had been drafted and would be finalised in the coming days.

He allowed for the possibility that the government might endorse the document and appoint the acting director at a correspondence session ahead of the next regular sitting coming Thursday.

Židan put forward for acting director Julijan Rupnik, the incumbent director of the state-owned forestry and logging enterprise Snežnik from Kočevska Reka.

Snežnik will be folded into the state forestry company as a non-cash contribution. The state will also supply a cash investment in the incorporation.

Židan says Rupnik is the only candidate for the job. It is not clear whether he enjoys the support of all government members as the Modern Centre Party (SMC) as the senior partner is yet to have its say.

The coalition are also at odds over the name and the seat of the forestry company.

The acting director is named for up to a year during which time the supervisory board will be appointed. The latter will then issue a call for applications to fill the job of the director.

The new company will take over all state forests on 1 July. These are now managed by the Farmland and Forest Fund.