Wolfgang Böhm (Die Presse) and Otmar Lahodynsky (profil), two of the most prominent European journalists, explain how the EU works. They provide a brief historical overview of the formation of the community and the membership of our country. Austria will take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union starting July 1, 2018, and will thus be significantly involved in legislative and political decisions. Our country is also responsible for mediating between the member states. Knowledge about the EU is also an important component of the curricula in NMS and AHS. Readers will learn: What institutions make up the EU? How much influence does each member state have? How are common decisions made in the EU? What impact do they have on our daily lives? What happens to the money that each member pays?.