As the European Union is preparing for the greatest enlargement in its history on May 1st, Austria is building stronger economic ties with her Southeastern neighbors. The American Consortium on European Union Studies (ACES) is an excellent platform informing Americans about the process of European integration.

Austrian Information had the privilege to interview the great National Geographic photographer, Volkmar Wentzel, and to reproduce some of his unpublished photographs on Austria for this issue.

Find out about the most recent Austrian awards and honors and read the riveting story of a 99 year-old Holocaust survivor.

As Europe ages, an Austrian grocery store extends a hand. After a disastrous accident, the Herminator has had a spectacular come-back.

Yours sincerely,
Christoph Meran

The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a member of the World Bank Group, and the Austrian government signed an agreement last October to establish together a new resource to help the Western Balkan countries reach out to European investors. The new facility will be based in Vienna and is set to launch its initiatives in early 2004. This is the first time that a group of the World Bank has selected Vienna to establish itself. It is significant because it reaffirms Vienna's special position as a gateway to Southeastern Europe and a promoter of internationally-recognized expertise on the region.

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In 1998 the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium launched an ambitious initiative to establish a network of study centers at universities throughout the United States. The objective behind these EU study centers was primarily to increase awareness of the political, economic and cultural importance of the transatlantic relationship and to offer young Americans the chance to learn more about the ongoing process of European integration. Of the sixty-nine leading U.S. universities that participated in the original request for proposals, ten were selected. Because of the success of the initiative, the network of universities has expanded to a total of fifteen.

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Volkmar Wentzel spent most of his life traveling the globe, and he has become a household name for those with a passion for the art of photography. If he is not as well known as many other photographers, it is because of his notorious modesty. As a staff member of the National Geographic Society for nearly fifty years, he was always given great freedom as to where and when he would photograph. He covered people and places in North and South America, Europe from Spitzbergen to the Mediterranean, Africa from the Maghreb to the Cape and from the shores of Coromandal to the steppes of the Central Asian Plateau.

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The father of the anti-baby pill and anthropologist Dean Falk

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Five years ago, Austrian Bernhard Rammerstorfer interrupted his university studies and wrote a book entitled, Unbroken Will: The Extraordinary Courage of an Ordinary Man (German edition: Nein statt Ja and Amen!). It is the sensitive portrayal of an extraordinary personality, Leopold Engleitner, a menial farm laborer, now 99 years old, whose experience during the time of the Holocaust, serves as a valuable lesson to others and reaches far beyond the borders of his native Austria. Bernhard Rammerstorfer recounts the story of a man who was cruelly victimized by the Nazis for his refusal to serve in the German Wehrmacht.

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The Adeg Aktiv Markt 50+ is Europe's first supermarket designed for shoppers over 50. The labels are big, the aisles are wide, the floors are nonskid, even when wet; and there are plenty of places to sit down. The customer can borrow a pair of reading glasses from the store or reach for one of the magnifying glasses hanging from chains in the grocery aisles and dairy cases.

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When Hermann Maier streaked past the finish line of the World Cup downhill in St. Anton am Arlberg, all of Austria cheered. Maier, considered Austria's greatest skier, glanced up at the race board, which showed he had taken the lead by more than a third of a second. He shook his head in disappointment. For Maier it was not fast enough. At a peak speed of more than 85 miles an hour, it still proved to be faster than anyone else. When his teammate and rival, Stephan Eberharter, finished 34-hundredths of a second behind, Maier celebrated his 46th World Cup victory.

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A new 5 Euro silver coin was issued commemorating the enlargement of the European Union, which will increase its membership from 15 to 25 countries.

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Kurt Steiner, Professor Emeritus in Political Science, who was known on the Stanford University campus as "Mr. Austria," died at his home on October 20, 2003. He was 91 years old.

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