Midnight celebrations as the Czech Rep enters the EU

(1 May 2004)
1. Various of crowd in Prague Old Town Square
2. Band playing on stage
3. Various of crowd
4. Vaclav Klaus, President Czech Republic walking onto stage
5. Crowd
6. SOUNDBITE (Czech) Vaclav Klaus, President Czech Republic:
"This is a great chance for us but we have to realise that nothing is going to change automatically, the way we live today is going to be the way we live tomorrow."
7. Close of crowd cheering
8. Fireworks going off over river
9. Crowd cheering
STORYLINE:
The mood was festive in the Czech Republic as fireworks and street parties heralded the ex-communist country's accession to the European Union at the stroke of midnight on Saturday May 1.
Hundreds of thousands of people across the "new Europe" celebrated on Friday and Saturday in a jubilant ceremony to mark the European Union's historic enlargement.
Dozens of events culminated in spectacular fireworks displays in the 10 newcomer nations at midnight (2200 GMT).
The enlarged EU has 25 member nations and 450 million citizens.
As well as the Czech Republic, the EU's "big bang" expansion brings in Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, along with Cyprus and Malta, which were never in the Soviet orbit.
The accession of eight ex-communist countries has been hailed by EU leaders as "the end of the artificial divisions of the last century", a reference to the eastern Europe's Cold War-era isolation.
EU heads of state were gathering in Ireland, which is wrapping up its EU presidency, for a formal "Day of Welcomes" in Dublin on Saturday.
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