A light show marked the beginning of 2007 and Bulgaria's EU
entry. Together with a number of European and Bulgarian officials Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev attended New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sofia, which also commemorated Bulgaria’s EU entry.

Among the guests of the event were European Parliament president Josep Borrel, enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn and EP rapporteur for Bulgaria Geoffrey Van Orden.

Stanishev symbolically traced the Bulgarian map on the map of Europe.

January 1 2007 marked a day when the dream of many Bulgarians came true, Stanishev said. Bulgarians showed during the 15 years on their way to accession that working together for a common goal produced the needed results.

EU would help Bulgarians unite further, Stanishev said. At the same time the union was going to benefit from the Bulgarian culture, alphabet and historic past, said he.

Union entry celebrations will be accompanied by a number of work meetings and talks. Some of the talks will focus on the trial of the five Bulgarian nurses, sentenced to death on charges of mass intentional HIV infection in Libya.

Stanishev said that Bulgaria was going to continue working for the freedom of the nurses and their return home.