The day Poland and Europe waited half a century for

European presidents and premiers celebrated in Dublin, as Ireland is the present leader of the EU. "You had been knocking on Europe's door for years. Now we open it for you," said Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern to the 10 new member states. He assured everyone that the Union is not a threat to its members' identities and cultures. The members' flags were flown in front of the Irish president's house in Phoenix Park. Poland was the only country represented by both the President and the Prime Minister, as Leszek Miller's visit symbolically ended his time in office. "We lost a great deal of public support, but today we are members of the EU, and for me this is the best proof that it was worth it," said Miller later in his address on Polish TV. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A6) D.W.