ABSTRACT
Since European Union (EU) social policy evolved to such a large degree after the Austrian membership application and decision, this chapter gives an overview on its overall development. The specific character of EU social policy for the early 1990s, suggested that becoming an EU member would not legally require any major changes in the structure of the Austrian welfare state. Since Austria considered itself a particularly advanced welfare state, little attention was paid to the minimum standards and some were surprised when it became clear that various Austrian laws needed a lifting of standards in order to comply with EU social standards. As a consequence of this state of affairs, it was uncontroversial among politicians as well as social scientists that the existing EU social laws would not directly impinge on the quality of the Austrian welfare state after EU accession.
