Crowds thronged the Belgian-European Union joint pavilion as it opened its doors to the first batch of visitors on Saturday. The European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso attended a brief ribbon cutting ceremony and inaugurated its opening.

Jose Manuel Barroso, EU Commission President,said, "It is the first time for the European Union to take part in a World Expo outside Union's territory. I took this decision because of the importance I attach to the strategic partnership between the European Union and China."

The EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton was also in attendance, together with a group of EU officials.

The theme of the European exhibition is "Intelligent Europe." The pavilion was built to mimic the structure of a brain cell, highlighting the role of Belgium as a centre of European culture and traditions.