Amendments to the Slovenian Business Register act creates the legal basis for connecting the register with business registers in the European Single Market and for data exchange.

Economy Ministry State Secretary Eva Štravs Podlogar said the bill transposes the EU directive establishing the Business Registers Interconnection System.

The system will enable search for information on companies registered in any EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway through the European e-Justice portal.

Some basic data on companies and their subsidiaries will be accessible free of charge, depending on the policy of the individual country.

The amendments also reform the Slovenian one-stop shop Vem.

Meanwhile, amendments to the court register act will enable free access to the register via the internet, including to data on affiliated physical persons and legal entities.

The website of AJPES (agency for public legal records) will enable access to information not only about the company registered but also data and a link to information about the interests of shareholders, representatives or supervisory board members in affiliated entities.

"In this way we will have made an important step forward toward greater transparency of businesses and integrity of the Slovenian business environment," Justice Minister Goran Klemenčič said.

No deputy faction opposed the amendments in the debate; the coalition and the opposition Democrats (SDS) and New Slovenia (NSi) announced their support for the amended Business Register act, while the Left said it would not vote against.

In the case of the court register, support for the amendments was indicated by the coalition, NSi and the unaffiliated MPs, while the SDS said it would not oppose.

"The procedure so far has heard many warnings that even though the solutions will ease search on persons who are shareholders in various legal entities, there has not been sufficient clarification as to whether encroachment on personal data of checked persons is proportionate," SDS MP Anja Bah Žibert said.

Both bills were passed in shortened procedure.