Malta's EU Accession

After years of hard negotiations with the European Union and after a referendum about EU membership, Malta finally joined the EU on 1st May 2004.

Here you will find some impressions of the EU Accession Celebrations in Malta! The photos you can see on this site were taken by two anonymous photographers, myself, my Austrian friend Adam Winkler, Dennis DeBono, Alex Gainsworth and by one of Malta's top photographers Rene Rossignaud. Enjoy!

 

Malta enters the EU port

by Charlotte Bonavia, Paul Cachia, di-ve news

A huge crowd embraces the EU fever

VALLETTA, Malta (di-ve news)--May 01, 2004 - 0001CET--As the clock struck midnight, the imposing, historical Fort St.Angelo was lit up by fireworks - marking Malta's official entry into the European Union. Malta joined the European Union with an explosion of fireworks, music, lasers and beacons.

A huge crowd thronged at the Grand Harbour, clogging vantage points to watch the spectacular light show.

The light show created by the duo Gert Hoff and Ross Ashton kept the promise to astonish and amaze enhanced by the imposing the Grand Harbour.

The calm water created a mirror effect, doubling the graphic manipulations on the face of the Fort St Angelo bastions.

The events start at 1915CET when the Works Division Band will play a march starting from City Gate down Lord Nelson Street to Crucifix Hill, Floriana.

At 2030CET, four performing stages performed different genres of music - a jazz stage at Ta' Liesse, two rock and pop stages at Pinto Wharf and a traditional music stage in Senglea.

At the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta, Miriam Gauci and Joseph Calleja staged an operatic show together for the first time.

The highlight of the evening was provided by the midnight, fascinating laser display on Fort St Angelo by the projection artist Ross Ashton followed by a light show by Gert Hof to the accompaniment of music from a new opera by the legendary Roger Waters, former front man of the world-renowned rock group Pink Floyd.

The various graphic images created by Ashton traced the country's history from Great Siege of Malta to the summit between Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George Bush, portraying the various personalities which made up our history from La Vallette to Pope John Paull II.

This was followed by Julie Zahra and Ludwig Galea entering the port on vessel, singing the song Fil-Port ma' l-Ewropej. The new version of the National Anthem was then performed by Miriam Gauci and Joseph Calleja.

At the stoke of midnight, the climax was reached as the Gert Hof light show on the bastions, accompanied by the music of former Pink Floyd singer Roger Waters left everyone breathless.

MANY THANKS TO WWW.DI-VE.COM FOR A FANTASTIC LIVE COVERAGE OF THE EVENTS.