The final withdrawal of the Yugoslav army from Slovenia was scheduled for 18 October but it was delayed by formalities. The last remaining 2,400 soldiers would withdraw via the Koper port by the evening of 25 October 1991.

The withdrawal is considered one of the political and emotional high points of the independence struggle that started with the first multi-party elections in April 1990 and the independence plebiscite in December the same year.

Slovenia's efforts reached a boiling point in the ten-day war for independence, which broke out on 27 June 1991, two days after Slovenia declared independence from Yugoslavia. It lasted until 3 July, when the Yugoslav army started retreating to their barracks.

At the beginning of July 1991, Yugoslavia, Slovenia and Croatia - which declared independence alongside Slovenia - sat down for peace talks on the Croatian island chain Brijuni under the mediation of the European Community.

The negotiators drafted a cease-fire agreement dubbed the Brijuni Declaration on 7 July 1991, which included a provision on a three-month moratorium on independence activities.

The celebration of what was declared in 2015 as Sovereignty Day will be held at Bonifika Arena in Koper and feature a keynote address by Prime Minister Miro Cerar. Senior officials including President Borut Pahor will be in attendance.