Austria in the EU On 1 January 1995 Austria became a Member
State of the European Union. This act marked the completion of
the process of Austria’s integration efforts which had started
long before the submission of Austria’s application for EC
membership by then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alois Mock, on
17 July 1989. Austria was one of the founding members of the
European Free Trade Area (EFTA), established by the Stockholm
Convention which entered into force on 3 May 1960. The first
closer economic ties to the states forming the European Economic
Community (EEC) were established in 1973 when the free trade
area between Austria and the EEC was set up. Although this
bridge between the members of EFTA and the members of the EU
proved successful because the EFTA states’ export business was
granted largely unhindered access to the EC area in the
industrial sector, it did not offer any perspective for more
comprehensive relations. In 1989 the plan for the establishment
of a European Economic Area presented by