Austria joined the European Union in 1995 together with Sweden and which other Nordic country?

The correct answer is Finland. On 1 January 1995, the European Union expanded from twelve to fifteen members through the simultaneous accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden, a round often remembered as the 'EFTA enlargement' because all three had previously belonged to the European Free Trade Association rather than the European Economic Community. This expansion followed public referendums in each country during 1994, all of which returned majority support for membership, and it significantly increased the EU's northern and Alpine footprint. Norway, offered as a distractor, also negotiated accession terms and held a referendum in November 1994, but Norwegian voters rejected membership for the second time, following an earlier rejection in 1972, meaning Norway has remained outside the EU while participating in the single market through the European Economic Area. Denmark is incorrect because it had already joined far earlier, in 1973, alongside the United Kingdom and Ireland, making it one of the EU's longer-standing members rather than a 1995 entrant. Iceland is also incorrect since it has never become an EU member state, despite briefly applying for membership in 2009 before withdrawing the application in 2015, and it too participates in the single market via the European Economic Area rather than full membership. A frequent exam confusion arises from grouping all Nordic and Alpine countries together as if they joined the EU at the same time, when in fact their accession dates differ by decades, and some, like Norway and Iceland, never joined at all. The key revision fact is the trio Austria, Finland and Sweden entering together in 1995, distinct from Denmark's 1973 entry and Norway and Iceland's continued non-membership.