World News

EU's new nations celebrate new entry

PRAGUE (AP) - Revelers across ex-communist eastern Europe celebrated their historic entry to the European Union on May 1 amid scattered protests by demonstrators decrying a loss of national sovereignty.

The overall atmosphere differed sharply from May Days under communism, when people were forced to march in parades carrying banners of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin and Soviet flags, and listen to dreary speeches by party apparatchiks

Spirits were high across most of the region, where hundreds of thousands were celebrating their countries' return to the European mainstream 15 years after shaking off communism

The European Union swelled from 15 nations to 25 by taking in the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, along with the Mediterranean nations of Cyprus and Malta.

Shukan ST: May 14, 2004

(C) All rights reserved