Remembering and reminding

30 years in the EU: “Gigantic achievement”

(Bild: pavlofox - stock.adobe.com)

The historic event of EU accession: former Chancellor Franz Vranitzky and State Secretary Brigitte Ederer remember. And warn.

June 1994 was a particularly hot month. The mood in the country matched this. "It was a kind of election campaign. But we ran it together," says Franz Vranitzky today. He was Federal Chancellor at the time. He, his SPÖ and the ÖVP, led by Foreign Minister Alois Mock, fought for votes for accession to the European Community "down to the most remote" valleys. 66.6 percent voted YES in the referendum on June 11. Official accession followed on January 1, 1995, exactly 30 years ago.