Abstract (eng)
The accession to the European Union changed Austria’s face sustainably on a political and economic level. The Republic’s development from an occupied country after the Second World War to a Member State of the European Union forms the historical context of this paper, which examines the actual impact of the now 20 years of EU-membership, in selected areas. These include, amongst others, the different economic sectors like trade, tourism, industry, commerce, transport, banking and insurance, information and consulting. The effects of the takeover of Community law and of Austria’s participation in the European internal market are likewise shown. Furthermore, the importance of EU funds, the country’s participation in the monetary union and the integration into the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the Union will also be discussed. In relation to the role of the country within the EU, another focus of this paper is the analysis of Austria’s EU Presidencies. In order to determine the degree of European integration in Austria, a contrastive juxtaposition of two federal states (Salzburg and Vienna) will be carried out as well. Finally, the local population’s stance on Austria's membership in the European Union is outlined.