AUSTRIAN National Day this year falls halfway between the referendum on Austria's membership of the European Union (EU) and the accession to the EU at the beginning of 1995.
The overwhelming vote in favour of membership not only finally brought a long and sometimes difficult path to an end, it furthermore represents a valuable contribution to the process of European integration at large.
The people of Austria expressed in the June 12 referendum their readiness to actively participate in the emerging Europe.
About 40 years ago the signing of the Austrian State Treaty - on May 15, 1955 - initiated what is known today as the era of detente between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Warsaw Pact.
The State Treaty became the cornerstone of Austrian foreign policy and the basis for her neutrality, as defined and adopted by the Parliament of Austria. That was a time when Europe was divided by the Iron Curtain and barbed wire.
Today, Europe presents itself completely differently. The Cold War has come to an end, new countries have emerged, while others have disappeared.