Welcome Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union!

The European Council meeting of 14-15 December will welcome the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the EU. To celebrate this important occasion, the Commission is organising a major event in the centre of Brussels hosted by President José Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, and open to all. Representatives of Bulgaria and Romania as well as of the Member States will be present. The colourful event is open to the public.

Welcoming Bulgaria and Romania to the EU, President Barroso said: “Finally the moment of celebration has arrived. 1 January 2007 will be an important day in European history. Bulgaria’s and Romania’s accession to the EU completes our historic fifth round of enlargement, which peacefully reunified Western and Eastern Europe.”

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn added: “When welcoming two new Member States and 30 million people into the family, we know our debates, culture and heritage will be richer, and our mutual ties and economies will be boosted. Enlargement is not a project for the elite, but it is very much about enhancing everyday life of ordinary citizens. Let’s celebrate this moment with as many people as possible.”

The world’s biggest ever gingerbread, representing a giant map of the EU, will be unveiled. The map will have record dimensions (3x3 metres), so it has been submitted for an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. The President of Romania and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria will complete the enlarged EU’s map by inserting two pieces corresponding to the maps of their countries into the gingerbread map of the EU.

A "Human Chain" initiative will be launched in cooperation with the music channel MTV. Young people will have their picture taken and uploaded on the TV station's website and become part of the human chain. They will have the opportunity to join their hands with people from all over Europe, first at the live launch, and later through cyberspace. This project will continue all through the early part of 2007 and will be accompanied by advertisements inviting thousands of young people to participate by uploading pictures from their computer and becoming part of this human chain.

The atmosphere will be kept hot in the cold winter thanks to the music of the Bulgarian band TE and the Romanian band SISTEM.

The European Commission welcomes everyone to this celebration.