Ljubljana - The government will introduce measures to regulate the heating oil margins next week and will also regulate retail prices if necessary, Prime Minister Robert Golob said in an interview with Radio Slovenija on Thursday.

"Next week we will take the first step, that is margin regulation," Golob said about the prices of heating oil. "We don't want people using heating oil to be forced to switch to electric heating. We want heating oil to be equal to electricity and gas in terms of price," he said.

At the moment is seems that this step will suffice, as the state will also lift all levies on heating oils. "Then we'll see if another step is needed," he said, adding that that next step would be to regulate the retail price.

This is something the government would be willing to do, he added.

Asked about the idea floated this week by Labour Minister Luka Mesec that Christmas bonus should become an obligation for employers, he said he was in favour of the idea but that the timing was not right.

He pointed to the crisis and uncertainty that companies are faced with. "Such a period is not good for introducing new obligations," he said, expressing home that the situation would improve as soon as possible to allow for this.

"Whether that will happen by the end of our term? I'd like that."

Commenting on the appointment of Žiga Debeljak, a former CEO of retailer Mercator, as the new chairman of the management board of Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) at the end of last month, he denied claims that this was a political move.

"Debeljak was appointed by the supervisory board ... which was appointed in the previous term," he said. "I believe the supervisory board appointed him because it has confidence in his skills and I do too," he said.

The prime minister also announced that all officials who are not experts and had been politically appointed by the previous government would be replaced. But he would not give concrete names of the companies. He said the government wanted expert staff on these posts.