On 1st January 1995 Austria became together with Sweden and Finland a member of the European Union. From twelve to fifteen member states. At the referendum held on 12th June 1994 66,6% of Austrian citizens voted to join the EU.
This year we are looking back to thirty Austrian years in the EU. This period brought more prosperity and peace, what strengthened Austria. However the EU is more than only open borders and common market. The EU is especially faced with challenges, which primarly consider the future of next generations – preservation of peace and prosperity as well as dealing with climate changes, that do not accept borders and therefore individual countries can not control them, futhermore also migrations – with them all European countries are faced, or the deficit of qualified workers, what is also evident in all member states of the EU. Only a common solution is possible to all of these issues.
The EU strives for democracy and legal state, it defends itself against ignorance of basic European values in its volume and nowadays faces more and more unsolved questions and difficulties.
