January 1995, Brussels

Austria part of the EU? The Freedom Party and the Greens were against it, the other parliamentary parties in favour of it. In Tyrol, people feared an increase in heavy goods traffic. Others were anxious that Brussels would stifle Austrian identity: would the use of specific Austrian German terms still be allowed or would the language be standardised? The outcome of the referendum showed that 66 per cent of the electorate voted to join the European Union, ushering in a new chapter in the history of Austria. The East–West conflict of the Cold War was over, but Austria retained its neutrality and became a member of the EU on 1 January 1995.