20 Years of EU Enlargement: Austria Looks at the Success Story of European Integration

Lifestyle & TravelMore+ ♦ Published: May 5, 2024; 23:43 ♦ (Vindobona)

Exactly 20 years ago, on May 1, 2004, a historic enlargement of the European Union came into force. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Cyprus became member states, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Europe. This fifth round of enlargement marked a milestone for the countries involved and a significant change for Austria, as Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and the Austrian Society for European Politics emphasize.

EU enlargement in 2004 was a milestone for Austria and the EU. / Picture: © Flickr / Dimitar Nikolov / [CC BY-SA 2.0(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)]

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Cyprus became member states of the European Union 20 years ago, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Europe.

Advantages for Austria

The integration of these countries, which were once on the eastern edge of Europe, placed Austria at the…