News roundup - Thursday, 8 February

Pirc Musar expresses support to Bosnia-Herzegovina's EU path

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - President Nataša Pirc Musar underlined Slovenia's continued support for Bosnia-Herzegovina's path to the EU membership as she started a two-day visit in Sarajevo. Slovenia is committed to Bosnia-Herzegovina starting accession negotiations on EU membership, she said at a meeting with the members of the Bosnian presidency. The president reiterated that the EU must be honest about the integration process, and that it was up to the countries of the region to implement the necessary reforms within the set deadlines.

Prešeren Prize ceremony celebrating artists and their insightfulness

LJUBLJANA - The top national accolades for lifetime achievement in culture and arts were conferred to poet Erika Vour, and ballet dancer, choreographer and director Henrik Neubauer, at the annual ceremony on the eve of Culture Day. The chair of the Prešeren Fund management board, Jožef Muhovič, said artists illuminate the essence of things. Addressing the ceremony in Ljubljana's Cankarjev Dom on Wednesday evening, Muhovič said artists with their imagination are capable of illuminating the essence of things, so "the rest of us can follow this reflection".

Čeferin will not run for another term as UEFA president

PARIS, France - Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) president Aleksander Čeferin announced after the UEFA Congress in Paris, were changes to the statute were confirmed extending the term of UEFA head, that he will not run for another term at the 2027 congress. Addressing the press after the congress, he said he had made the decision not to run again about six months ago. "The reason is that every organisation needs fresh blood every now and then, but the main reason is that I have been away from my family for the last seven years and will be for another three." The 56-year-old Slovenian lawyer has led UEFA since 2016, when he was appointed for a term of two and a half years to succeed Michel Platini, who was suspended early over corruption. Čeferin was elected for a full term in 2019 and then again in 2023.

Plane flying from Ljubljana to Luxembourg makes emergency landing in Munich

MUNICH, Germany - A Luxair plane that took off from Ljubljana airport on Sunday and headed for Luxembourg had to make an emergency landing in Munich because of a broken glass in the pilot's cabin, the Munich airport and German press agency dpa said on Thursday. Flight LG5682 started in Ljubljana at 12:10pm on Sunday. The plane was to land in Luxembourg at 14:05pm, but was forced to make the emergency landing in Munich at about 13:50pm. The pilot reported of a broken glass on the window of the pilot's cabin and then made a safe emergency landing at a spot Munich airport provided. The passengers were transferred to other fights.

Numerous events to celebrate Culture Day

LJUBLJANA/VRBA/KRANJ - Slovenia celebrated Culture Day, a public holiday dedicated to cultural achievements and the role culture plays in public and private spheres. Numerous events were held throughout the country, and many museums and other cultural institutions offered free guided tours. Especially vibrant these days have been the village of Vrba in northwestern Slovenia, where Slovenian bard France Prešeren was born in 1800, and the town of Kranj, some 30 kilometres southeast, where he died in 1849. Like every year, members of the Association of Theatre Actors staged their annual Prešern poetry recital in Prešeren Square in Ljubljana.

Nations League draw pits Slovenia against Austria, Norway and Kazakhstan

PARIS, France - Slovenia's national football side will play Austria, Norway and Kazakhstan in the fourth iteration of the UEFA Nations League starting in September, in group 3 of League B, a draw in Paris has decided. "A very competitive group. Austria is one of the best teams in Europe, and then there's Norway and Kazakhstan, who we played against just a few days ago. This is a group in which Slovenia will also be asked a lot," Slovenian national team head coach Matjaž Kek told the Slovenian Football Association.