The Hungarian parliament hailed the upcoming accession to the European Union (EU), saying Hungary will enter a new historic era after it joins the regional bloc.

Europe will be reunited on May 1, 2004, putting an end to the divided situation in Europe since the signing of the Yalta Agreement in 1945, said a statement issued by the parliament on Monday.

The accession to the EU will enable Hungary to rebuild strong ties with the rest of Europe, it said.

Hungary, as an independent, free and democratic country, will preserve its national tradition and contribute to the development of the EU after it joins the bloc, it added.

The statement, tabled by Prime Minister Medgyessy Peter, won support from the four parties in the parliament.

Before the voting on the statement, Szili Kataolin, speaker of the parliament, said the significance of Hungary's entry into the EU is comparable to that of the founding of the nation more than 1,000 years ago.

Ten candidate countries -- Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic,Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Malta and Cyprus --concluded their accession negotiation at the EU summit on December 13, 2003. They are expected to formally join the EU this weekend.

Source: Xinhua