Austria–Hungary relations
Neighbourly relations exist between Austria and Hungary, two member states of the European Union. Both countries have a long common history since the ruling dynasty of Austria, the Habsburgs, inherited the Hungarian throne in the 16th century. Both were part of the now-defunct Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867 to 1918. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1921, after their separation.
This article is about the diplomatic relations between Austria and Hungary. For the foreign relations of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, see List of diplomatic missions of Austria-Hungary.Embassy of Hungary, Vienna
Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe and of the European Union. They share a 366-kilometre (227 mi) border, which can be crossed anywhere without control, because of the Schengen Agreement.
This railway company with headquarters in Sopron is a joint enterprise of the states of Hungary (66.5%),[4] Austria (28.6%) and a holding belonging to ÖBB Austrian Federal Railways (4.9%), which is due to sell its shares to the Strabag building company if the European Commission agrees. In Hungarian it is called Győr-Sopron-Ebenfurti Vasút (GySEV), in German it was called Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurther Eisenbahn (ROeEE) until 2008 and is now called Raaberbahn.
The company maintains the following railway lines:
The main line of the company was licensed to a private company by the Hungarian government in 1872. The Györ−Sopron line opened to traffic around 1876. The "Neusiedler Seebahn" was opened in 1897. Traffic between the two countries continued even during the dissolution of Austria-Hungary, World War II, and the Cold War after it.
Beginning in the 1980s, the company got more business, especially in freight. A new freight terminal in Sopron was constructed. In 1987, the main line was electrified.[5]