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Czech President Vaclav Klaus and Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla both addressed the nation on the eve of accession. The Prime Minister assured Czechs that the country would benefit from EU entry and urged them to avail themselves of the opportunities opening up. "We are not abandoning our homeland or replacing it - of our own free will we have chosen to become a part of the European community," Mr. Spidla said. "We have much to offer and a great deal to benefit from, I am convinced that the Czech Republic will not be lost in the EU," he concluded.

President Klaus said EU membership was something that this country had striven for over the past 14 years, and that it would end half a century of isolation, one-sided orientation towards the East and years of disrespect for basic values embraced by the democratic world. Yet he warned Czechs not to get carried away by sentiment, saying that it was vital for the country to learn to move within the framework of EU structures, to make the best of its pre-negotiated position within the union in order to take up its rightful place within the community. The Czech nation must preserve its identity and we must make sure that the balance of advantages and disadvantages of EU membership is in our favour, the President said, adding that he was optimistic that the Czech Republic was ready for the challenge.

Several hundred anarchists and right-wing extremists marched through Prague on Saturday in protest at the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union. The far right protesters called for a boycott of the European Parliament elections and the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla. The two groups of protesters clashed briefly in the centre of Prague but police managed to separate them.

A bomb threat led the authorities to close two border crossings between Germany and the Czech Republic on Friday, just hours before the historic enlargement of the European Union. For four hours police with sniffer dogs combed two crossings near the town of Rozvadov without finding anything suspicious. The closure resulted in long cues on both sides of the border. Police are investigating the bomb threat. Meanwhile, security is tight at the German border town of Zittau, where German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla and Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller are due to attend the festivities on Saturday.

Two days of celebrations have begun across the Czech Republic marking the country's accession to the European Union on May 1st. EU flags are flying on buildings and institutions in all Czech towns and cities and the two day celebrations include open-air parties, concerts and fireworks displays. The celebrations will climax at the stroke of midnight when the Czech Republic together with 9 other countries will become a full member of the European Union. The biggest expansion in the EUs history will swell its ranks to 25 nations and its population to 450 million.