Historic day as Czechs come of age

THE Czech Republic taking over the presidency of the EU is a historic milestone in European integration, the Government has said.

The formerly communist Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993 after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The Czech Republic, which joined the EU in 2004, took over the rotating six-month presidency from France from midnight. Also, Slovakia joins the eurozone today.