ABSTRACT
Austria became a member of the EU in 1995. A very strong majority 66 percent of Austrians voted in favor of joining the EU.1 In the past, Austria’s relationship with the EU has been strongly influenced by its preference for neutrality. In 1955, in order to end the occupation by the allies, Austria agreed to refrain from joining a military alliance. Additionally, the SPÖ for a long time was reluctant to join what it considered to be a “bourgeois bloc” (Luif 2003: 97) and was only willing to participate in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), yielding to demands of the ÖVP.
