The country's railway passenger market will thus open for providers from within the EU, allowing the development of a single railway area within the bloc.

Cargo and international passenger transport on railways have already been liberalised and this step means that "providers will be able to access the market freely", according to Infrastructure Ministry State Secretary Klemen Potisek.

He added that Slovenia would not abolish the system of mandatory public passenger transport service, which is provided by Slovenske Železnice (SŽ). There is also a 15-year funding contract in place between SŽ and the state.

Moreover, Slovenia is allowed to protect this service in case the service is in jeopardy as per changes made to the Statute of the Agency for Communication Networks and Services.

Meanwhile, the new law on railway transport safety transposes into Slovenian law two directives ensuring easier access to the market for transport providers, among other things.