New Year celebrations, PM withdraws first euro

SHOTLIST ++NIGHT SHOTS++ 1. Pan left fireworks starting at midnight over fort 2. Close up of fireworks 3. People looking at fireworks 4. Wide fireworks 5. Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi arriving 6. Cutaway photographers 7. Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi inserting his card into an ATM 8. Cutaway people looking 9. Close up ATM not delivering the money and returning the card to Gonzi 10. Governor of the Central Bank of Malta, Michael Bonello, taking money from another ATM located inside the bank 11. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Governor of the Central Bank toasting and drinking 12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Lawrence Gonzi, Maltese Prime Minister: ''We are the smallest member state of the European Union but we are as proud as the largest country and we have achieved what perhaps other countries have not yet done.'' 13. Wide of celebrations at Valletta waterfront 14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Paul de Bono, Vox pop: ''Now we are going to travel much easier and it should be even better for the general economy I believe.'' 15. Wide of fireworks over Valletta's grand harbour STORYLINE The Republic of Malta adopted the Euro on Tuesday at midnight and thousands of its citizens celebrated the event under the rain in front of an unprecedented fireworks display over Valletta's grand harbour. Malta, a former British colony, scraped the Maltese lira. Its adoption of the single European currency - along with fellow EU newcomer Cyprus - brings the number of countries using the euro to 15. A few minutes right after midnight, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and the Central Bank of Malta Governor, Michael Bonello, withdrew the first euro bank notes from an ATM at the Valletta Waterfront. Gonzi had to wait a little before getting his hands on the new currency. An automated teller machine did not work when he tried to withdraw euros, and he was obliged to use a different ATM. "We are the smallest member state of the European Union, but we are as proud as the largest country and we have achieved what perhaps other countries have not yet done," he said. After midnight, transactions with by cards will be made in euros, although certain transactions at bars and restaurants would still be possible in the Maltese lira. The length of the period of dual circulation will be one month, that is, until January 31, meaning that until then consumers are free to pay either in euro or Malta lira. The mandatory dual display of prices - in euro and Maltese lira - will remain in effect until June 30, 2008. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/94216a453044f235cb8506901957013e Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork