EU member state flags raised in front of parliament building

Ljubljana, 1 May - The flags of the EU member states and of the Ljubljana city were raised in front of the parliament building on Friday in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries in front of the parliament building in Slovenia. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA File photo

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries in front of the parliament building in Slovenia.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA
File photo

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana Parliament building. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
Parliament building.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU. Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

Ljubljana
The flags of EU member countries are hung in front of the parliament building in the run-up to Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU.
Photo: Nebojša Tejić/STA

The temporary flag poles were erected in Republic Square across the street from the National Assembly in a decision of the Municipality of Ljubljana.

Prior to the flags being raised, Mayor Zoran Janković said the move came after the government had failed to include the local authorities in the preparations for Slovenia's EU presidency in the second half of the year.

The location has been picked by an expert group headed by Deputy Mayor Janez Koželj and in consultation with various stakeholders, including the designer of the reconstructed Republic Square.

The temporary installation until the end of the presidency has also been approved by the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, Koželj noted.

Janković said that the deputy mayor had faced a lot of unwarranted attacks, including the criticism that he was destroying Republic Square. He noted that only a few years ago cars were parked in the square.

A total of 29 poles have been erected, featuring the Slovenian and the EU flags at the beginning, and followed by flags of the EU member states in alphabetical order. The line-up concludes with the flag of the city of Ljubljana.

According to Janković, the flag poles were erected and flags flown early because the idea was that they are already there for the International Workers' Day.

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© STA, 2021