Austria

The region had already been settled in the Paleolithic Age. Rich deposits of mineral resources, especially salt and iron, facilitated the development of a prosperous Celtic population, which by the 1st century BC had become an important trading partner of the neighbouring Roman Empire.The Romans ruled over the region by the Danube for almost 500 years and founded numerous settlements. Until the end of the 8th century, waves of migrants continued to flood across the area of present-day Austria: Germanic peoples crossed the Danube, while Hunnic horsemen pressed from the east.

In 1867, Emperor Francis Joseph approved the establishment of the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary. This multinational state collapsed after the First World War, not least because of the drive for independence among its numerous nationalities.
As the surviving state of the former Dual Monarchy, Austria was proclaimed a republic in 1918, but it was difficult for this small nation to find its place in the new European order. In 1938 the country fell prey to the pressure of aggression by Hitler’s Germany and the unstable domestic political situation.

In 1955, the Austrian Parliament passed a constitutional law to guarantee permanent Austrian neutrality, and in the same year the country became a member of the United Nations.

Over the decades that followed, Austria became a valued and important member of the European project, initially as a member of EFTA. It became a member of the European Union on 1 January 1995.