EU member states

  EEA member

  Provisional EEA member (Croatia)

EFTA
EFTA member states

  EEA member

   EFTA
EFTA signatories that have not ratified (Switzerland)

Institutions  • Governance  • Regulators  • Courts

EEA Joint Committee

EEA Council

EC EFTA
EFTA SA

ECJ EFTA
EFTA Court

Member states[1][2]

27 EU states

 Austria  Belgium  Bulgaria  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece  Hungary  Ireland  Italy  Latvia  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Malta  Netherlands  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Slovakia  Slovenia  Spain  Sweden  United Kingdom

3 EFTA
EFTA states

 Iceland  Liechtenstein  Norway

1 EU state with provisional membership

 Croatia

Establishment

• EEA Agreement signed

2 May 1992

• Entry into force

1 January 1994

Area

• Total

4,944,753 km2 (1,909,180 sq mi)

Population

• 2015 estimate

513,772,446

GDP (nominal) 2014 estimate

• Total

€14 trillion ($18 trillion)[3]

• Per capita

€27,300 ($34,000)

The European Economic Area
European Economic Area (EEA) is the area in which the Agreement on the EEA provides for the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the European Single Market, including the freedom to choose residence in any country within this area. The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into force of the EEA Agreement.[4] The EEA Agreement specifies that membership is open to member states of either the European Union
European Union (EU) or European Free Trade Association (EFTA). EFTA
EFTA states which are party to the EEA Agreement participate in the EU's internal market without being members of the EU. They adopt most EU legislation concerning the single market, however with notable exclusions including laws regarding agriculture and fisheries.[5] The EEA's "decision-shaping" processes enable EEA EFTA member states to influence and contribute to new EEA policy and legislation from an early stage.[6] Third country goods are excluded for these states on rules of origin. When entering into force in 1994, the EEA parties were 17 states and two European Communities: the European Community, which was later absorbed into the EU's wider framework, and the now defunct European Coal and Steel Community. Membership has grown to 31 states as of 2016: 28 EU member states, as well as three of the four member states of the EFTA
EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein and Norway).[4] The Agreement is applied provisionally with respect to Croatia—the remaining and most recent EU member state—pending ratification of its accession by all EEA parties.[2][7] One EFTA
EFTA member, Switzerland, has not joined the EEA, but has a series of bilateral agreements with the EU which allow it also to participate in the internal market.

Contents

1 Origins 2 Membership

2.1 Treaties 2.2 Ratification of the EEA Agreement 2.3 Notes

3 Future enlargement

3.1 New EU member states 3.2 Future EU member states 3.3 European microstates

4 Possible withdrawal of the United Kingdom 5 Rights and obligations 6 Legislation 7 Institutions 8 EEA and Norway
Norway Grants 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Origins[edit] See also: 1995 enlargement of the European Union, 2004 enlargement of the European Union, and 2007 enlargement of the European Union In the late 1980s, the EFTA
EFTA member states, led by Sweden, began looking at options to join the then European Communities. The reasons identified for this are manifold. Many authors cite the economic downturn in the beginning of the 1980s, and the subsequent adoption by the European Union
European Union of the Europe
Europe 1992 agenda as a primary reason. Arguing from a liberal intergovernmentalist perspective, these authors argue that large multinational corporations in EFTA
EFTA countries, especially Sweden, pressed for EEC
EEC membership under threat of relocating their production abroad. Other authors point to the end of the Cold War, which made joining the EU less politically controversial for neutral countries.[8] Meanwhile, Jacques Delors, who was President of the European Commission at the time, did not like the idea of the EEC
EEC enlarging with more member states, as he feared that it would impede the ability of the Community to complete the internal market reform and establish the monetary union. Delors proposed a European Economic Space (EES) in January 1989, which was later renamed the European Economic Area, as it is known today.[8] By the time the EEA was established, however, several developments hampered its credibility. First of all, Switzerland
Switzerland rejected the EEA agreement in a national referendum on 6 December 1992 obstructing full EU- EFTA
EFTA integration within the EEA. Furthermore, Austria
Austria had applied for full EEC
EEC membership in 1989, and was followed by Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland
Switzerland between 1991 and 1992 (Norway's EU accession was rejected in a referendum, Switzerland
Switzerland froze its EU application after the EEA agreement was rejected in a referendum). The fall of the Iron Curtain made the EU less hesitant to accept these highly developed countries as member states, since that would relieve the pressure on the EU's budget when the former socialist countries of Central Europe
Europe were to join.[8] Membership[edit] The EEA Agreement was signed in Porto
Porto on 2 May 1992 by the then seven states of the European Free Trade Association
European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the European Community (EC) and its then 12 member states.[9][10] On 6 December 1992, Switzerland's voters rejected the ratification of the agreement in a constitutionally mandated referendum,[11] effectively freezing the application for EC membership submitted earlier in the year. Switzerland
Switzerland is instead linked to the EU by a series of bilateral agreements. On 1 January 1995, three erstwhile members of the EFTA—Austria, Finland
Finland and Sweden—acceded to the European Union, which had superseded the European Community
European Community upon the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty
Maastricht Treaty on 1 November 1993. Liechtenstein's participation in the EEA was delayed until 1 May 1995.[12] As of 2014[update] the contracting parties to the EEA are 3 of the 4 EFTA
EFTA member states and 27 of the 28 EU member states. The 28th and newest EU member, Croatia, finished negotiating their accession to the EEA in November 2013,[13] and since 12 April 2014 is provisionally applying the agreement pending its ratification by all EEA member states.[2][7] Treaties[edit] Besides the 1992 Treaty, 1 amending treaty was signed, as well as 3 treaties to allow for accession of new members of the European Union

Treaty Signature Entry into force original signatories comment

EEA agreement 000000001992-05-02-00002 May 1992 000000001994-01-01-00001 January 1994 19 states + EEC
EEC and ECSC Entered into force as adjusted by the 1993 Protocol

Adjusting Protocol 000000001993-03-17-000017 March 1993 000000001994-01-01-00001 January 1994 18 states + EEC
EEC and ECSC Allowing entry into force without Switzerland

Participation of 10 new States 000000002003-10-14-000014 October 2003 000000002005-12-06-00006 December 2005 28 states + EC following 2004 enlargement of the European Union

Participation of 2 new States 000000002007-07-25-000025 July 2007 000000002011-11-09-00009 November 2011 30 states + EC following 2007 enlargement of the European Union

Participation of 1 new State 000000002014-04-11-000011 April 2014 not in force 31 states + EU following 2013 enlargement of the European Union

Ratification of the EEA Agreement[edit]

State Signed [Note 1][1][14] Ratified [Note 1][1] Entered into force[1] Notes

 Austria 2 May 1992 15 October 1992 1 January 1994 EU member (from 1 January 1995) Acceded to the EEA as an EFTA
EFTA member[14]

 Belgium 2 May 1992 9 November 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Bulgaria[15] 25 July 2007 29 February 2008 9 November 2011 EU member

 Croatia[2] 11 April 2014 24 March 2015[16] No EU member (from 1 July 2013) Provisional application from 12 April 2014[2]

 Cyprus[17] 14 October 2003 30 April 2004 6 December 2005 EU member (The agreement is not applied to Northern Cyprus[Note 2])

 Czech Republic[17] 14 October 2003 10 June 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Denmark 2 May 1992 30 December 1992 1 January 1994 EU member

 European Union 2 May 1992 13 December 1993 1 January 1994 originally as European Economic Community and European Coal and Steel Community

 Estonia[17] 14 October 2003 13 May 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Finland 2 May 1992 17 December 1992 1 January 1994 EU member (from 1 January 1995) Acceded to the EEA as an EFTA
EFTA member[14]

 France 2 May 1992 10 December 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Germany 2 May 1992 23 June 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Greece 2 May 1992 10 September 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Hungary[17] 14 October 2003 26 April 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Iceland 2 May 1992 4 February 1993 1 January 1994 EFTA
EFTA member

 Ireland 2 May 1992 29 July 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Italy 2 May 1992 15 November 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Latvia[17] 14 October 2003 4 May 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Liechtenstein 2 May 1992 25 April 1995 1 May 1995 EFTA
EFTA member

 Lithuania[17] 14 October 2003 27 April 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Luxembourg 2 May 1992 21 October 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Malta[17] 14 October 2003 5 March 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Netherlands 2 May 1992 31 December 1992 1 January 1994 EU member

 Norway 2 May 1992 19 November 1992 1 January 1994 EFTA
EFTA member

 Poland[17] 14 October 2003 8 October 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Portugal 2 May 1992 9 March 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Romania[15] 25 July 2007 23 May 2008 9 November 2011 EU member

 Slovakia[17] 14 October 2003 19 March 2004 6 December 2005 EU member

 Slovenia[17] 14 October 2003 30 June 2005 6 December 2005 EU member

 Spain 2 May 1992 3 December 1993 1 January 1994 EU member

 Sweden 2 May 1992 18 December 1992 1 January 1994 EU member (from 1 January 1995) Acceded to the EEA as an EFTA
EFTA member[14]

  Switzerland[14] 2 May 1992 No No EFTA
EFTA member EEA ratification rejected in a 1992 referendum Removed as contracting party in 1993 protocol

 United Kingdom 2 May 1992 15 November 1993 1 January 1994 EU member, includes Gibraltar Voted in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU (planned to be effective by 29 March 2019) The future status of UK inclusion in the EEA remains unresolved.

Notes[edit]

^ a b Of the original agreement, or a subsequent agreement on participation of that particular state in the EEA. ^ Protocol 10 of the treaty of accession of the European Union
European Union to Cyprus
Cyprus suspended the application of the EU acquis to Northern Cyprus.[18][19] The EEA agreement states that it only applies to the territories of EU member states to which the EU treaties
EU treaties apply.[20] A joint declaration to the Final Act of treaty on accession of Cyprus
Cyprus to the EEA confirmed that this included the Protocol on Cyprus.[21]

Future enlargement[edit] New EU member states[edit] Croatia
Croatia acceded to the EU in July 2013, which obliged them to apply for EEA membership.[22] After Slovenia, Croatia
Croatia has recovered best from the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and is the second former Yugoslav state to join the EU.[23] According to Eurostat, Croatia
Croatia has a stable market economy and its GDP per capita in 2010 was 61 per cent of the EU average, exceeding that of four other EU member states.[24][25] EU accession negotiations were concluded on 30 June 2011,[26][27] and the Treaty of Accession was signed on 9 December 2011 in Brussels.[28] The Croatian government decided to submit their EEA membership application on 13 September 2012,[29] and negotiations started 15 March 2013 in Brussels, with the aim of achieving simultaneous accession to both the EU and the EEA on 1 July 2013.[30] However, this was not achieved.[31][32][33][34] Accession negotiations were expected to be completed by the autumn of 2013,[35] and on 20 November 2013 it was announced that an enlargement agreement was reached. The text was initialled on 20 December 2013, and following its signature in April 2014 the agreement is being provisionally applied pending ratification by Croatia, all EEA states, and the European Union.[7][13][36] As of June 2017[update], the agreement has been ratified by 17 out of 32 parties.[2] By comparison, following the 2007 enlargement of the EU, which saw Bulgaria
Bulgaria and Romania
Romania acceding to the EU on 1 January 2007, an EEA Enlargement Agreement was not signed until 25 July 2007 and only provisionally entered into force on 1 August 2007.[37][38][15] The agreement did not fully enter into force until 9 November 2011.[15] On the other hand, the EEA Agreement was applied on a provisional basis to the 10 acceding countries in May 2004 as from the date of their accession to the EU.[39] Future EU member states[edit] See also: Future enlargement of the European Union There are five recognised candidates for EU membership that are not already EEA members: Albania
Albania (applied 2009), Macedonia (applied 2004), Montenegro
Montenegro (applied 2008, negotiating since June 2012), Serbia (applied 2009, negotiating since January 2014) and Turkey
Turkey (applied 1987, negotiating since October 2005).[40] Albania
Albania and Macedonia have not yet started negotiations to join, nor has the European Union
European Union set any negotiations start date.[41] Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo
Kosovo are considered potential candidates for membership. Bosnia and Herzegovina signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement
Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU and its member states, that went into effect in June 2015, which allowed the lodging of a membership application in February 2016,[42] while Kosovo, whose independence is unrecognised by 5 EU member states, finalised negotiations on a SAA that went into effect in April 2016.[43] In mid-2005, representatives of the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands hinted at the possibility of their territory joining the EFTA.[44] However, the ability of the Faroes to join is uncertain because, according to Article 56 of the EFTA
EFTA Convention, only states may become members of the Association.[45] The Faroes, which form part of the Danish Realm, is not a sovereign state, and according to a report prepared for the Faroes Ministry of Foreign Affairs "under its constitutional status the Faroes cannot become an independent Contracting Party to the EEA Agreement due to the fact that the Faroes are not a state".[46] However, the report went on to suggest that it is possible that the "Kingdom of Denmark
Denmark in respect of the Faroes" could join the EFTA.[46] The Danish Government has stated that the Faroes cannot become an independent member of the EEA as Denmark
Denmark is already a party to the EEA Agreement.[46] The Faroes already have an extensive bilateral free trade agreement with Iceland, known as the Hoyvík Agreement. European microstates[edit] See also: Microstates and the European Union In November 2012, after the Council of the European Union
European Union had called for an evaluation of the EU's relations with the sovereign European microstates of Andorra, Monaco
Monaco and San Marino, which they described as "fragmented",[47] the European Commission
European Commission published a report outlining options for their further integration into the EU.[48] Unlike Liechtenstein, which is a member of the EEA via the EFTA
EFTA and the Schengen Agreement, relations with these three states are based on a collection of agreements covering specific issues. The report examined four alternatives to the current situation: 1) a Sectoral Approach with separate agreements with each state covering an entire policy area, 2) a comprehensive, multilateral Framework Association Agreement (FAA) with the three states, 3) EEA membership, and 4) EU membership. The Commission argued that the sectoral approach did not address the major issues and was still needlessly complicated, while EU membership was dismissed in the near future because "the EU institutions are currently not adapted to the accession of such small-sized countries". The remaining options, EEA membership and a FAA with the states, were found to be viable and were recommended by the Commission. As EEA membership is currently only open to EFTA
EFTA or EU members, the consent of existing EFTA
EFTA member states is required for the microstates to join the EEA without becoming members of the EU. In 2011, Jonas Gahr Støre, the then Foreign Minister of Norway
Norway which is an EFTA member state, said that EFTA/EEA membership for the microstates was not the appropriate mechanism for their integration into the internal market because their requirements differed from those of larger countries such as Norway, and suggested that a simplified association would be better suited for them.[49] Espen Barth Eide, Støre's successor, responded to the Commission's report in late 2012 by questioning whether the microstates have sufficient administrative capabilities to meet the obligations of EEA membership. However, he stated that Norway
Norway was open to the possibility of EFTA
EFTA membership for the microstates if they decide to submit an application, and that the country had not made a final decision on the matter.[50][51][52][53] Pascal Schafhauser, the Counsellor of the Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein Mission to the EU, said that Liechtenstein, another EFTA
EFTA member state, was willing to discuss EEA membership for the microstates provided their joining did not impede the functioning of the organisation. However, he suggested that the option of direct membership in the EEA for the microstates, outside both the EFTA
EFTA and the EU, should be given consideration.[52] On 18 November 2013 the EU Commission concluded that "the participation of the small-sized countries in the EEA is not judged to be a viable option at present due to the political and institutional reasons", and that Association Agreements were a more feasible mechanism to integrate the microstates into the internal market.[54] Possible withdrawal of the United Kingdom[edit] Main articles: Membership of United Kingdom
United Kingdom in the European Economic Area and Brexit A 2016 UK referendum voted to withdraw from the European Union. Staying in the EEA, possibly eventually as an EFTA
EFTA member, is one of the suggested options. A 2013 research paper presented to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom proposed a number of alternatives to EU membership which would continue to allow it access to the EU's internal market, including continuing EEA membership as an EFTA
EFTA member state, or the Swiss model of a number of bilateral treaties covering the provisions of the single market.[55] The United Kingdom
United Kingdom was a co-founder of EFTA
EFTA in 1960, but ceased to be a member upon joining the European Union. In the first meeting since the Brexit
Brexit vote, EFTA reacted by saying both that they were open to a UK return and that Britain has many issues to work through[56] although the Norwegian Government later expressed reservations.[57] In January 2017, Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, announced a 12-point plan of negotiating objectives and confirmed that the UK government would not seek continued permanent membership in the single market.[58] The UK could be allowed by other member states to join the EEA or EFTA
EFTA but existing EEA members such as Norway
Norway would have concerns about taking the risk of opening a difficult negotiation with the EU that could lead them to lose their current advantages.[59] The Scottish Government has looked into membership of EFTA
EFTA to retain access to the EEA.[60] However, other EFTA
EFTA states have stated that only sovereign states are eligible for membership, so it could only join if it became independent from the UK.[61] Rights and obligations[edit] The EEA relies on the same "four freedoms" underpinning the European Single Market as does the European Union: the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital among the EEA countries. Thus, the EEA countries that are not part of the EU enjoy free trade with the European Union. Also, '[t]he free movement of persons is one of the core rights guaranteed in the European Economic Area
European Economic Area (EEA) ... [i]t is perhaps the most important right for individuals, as it gives citizens of the 31 EEA countries the opportunity to live, work, establish business and study in any of these countries'.[62] As a counterpart, these countries have to adopt part of the Law of the European Union. However they also contribute to and influence the formation of new EEA relevant policies and legislation at an early stage as part of a formal decision-shaping process.[6] Agriculture and fisheries are not covered by the EEA. Not being bound by the Common Fisheries Policy
Common Fisheries Policy is perceived as very important by Norway
Norway and Iceland, and a major reason not to join the EU. The Common Fisheries Policy would mean giving away fishing quotas in their waters. The EEA countries that are not part of the EU do not contribute financially to Union objectives to the same extent as do its members, although they contribute to the EEA Grants
EEA Grants scheme to “reduce social and economic disparities in the EEA”. Additionally, some choose to take part in EU programmes such as Trans-European Networks and the European Regional Development Fund. Norway
Norway also has its own Norway Grants scheme.[63] After the EU/EEA enlargement of 2004, there was a tenfold increase in the financial contribution of the EEA States, in particular Norway, to social and economic cohesion in the Internal Market (€1167 million over five years).[citation needed] Legislation[edit]

A clickable Euler diagram
Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational European organisations and agreements.

v t e

The non EU members of the EEA (Iceland, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein and Norway) have agreed to enact legislation similar to that passed in the EU in the areas of social policy, consumer protection, environment, company law and statistics.[citation needed] These are some of the areas covered by the former European Community
European Community (the "first pillar" of the European Union). The non-EU members of the EEA are not represented in Institutions of the European Union
European Union such as the European Parliament
European Parliament or European Commission. This situation has been described as “fax democracy”, with Norway
Norway waiting for their latest legislation to be faxed from the Commission.[64][65] However, EEA countries are consulted about new EU legislative proposals and participate in shaping legislation at an early stage. The EEA Agreement contains provisions for input from the EEA/ EFTA
EFTA countries at various stages before legislation is adopted, including consent at the EEA Joint Committee. Once approved at the EEA Joint Committee, it is part of the EEA Agreement and the EEA EFTA States must implement it in their national law.[66] Institutions[edit] See also: European Free Trade Association The EEA Joint Committee consists of the EEA- EFTA
EFTA States plus the European Commission
European Commission (representing the EU) and has the function of amending the EEA Agreement to include relevant EU legislation. An EEA Council meets twice yearly to govern the overall relationship between the EEA members. Rather than setting up pan-EEA institutions, the activities of the EEA are regulated by the European Union
European Union institutions, as well as the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA
EFTA Court. The EFTA
EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court
EFTA Court regulate the activities of the EFTA members in respect of their obligations in the European Economic Area (EEA). The EFTA
EFTA Surveillance Authority performs the European Commission's role as "guardian of the treaties" for the EFTA
EFTA countries to ensure the EEA Agreement is being followed. The EFTA Court
EFTA Court performs a similar role to the European Court of Justice's in that it resolves disputes under the EEA Agreement. While the ECJ and European Commission
European Commission are respectively responsible for the interpretation and application of the EEA Agreement in the EU (between EU member states and within EU member states), and the EFTA Court and EFTA
EFTA Surveillance Authority are likewise respectively responsible for interpreting and monitoring the application of the EEA Agreement among the EEA- EFTA
EFTA states (between the EEA- EFTA
EFTA states and within the EEA- EFTA
EFTA states), disputes between an EU state and an EEA- EFTA
EFTA state are referred to the EEA Joint Committee rather to either court. Only if the Joint Committee cannot provide a resolution within three months, would the disputing parties jointly submit to the ECJ for a ruling (if the dispute concerns provisions identical to EU law) or to arbitration (in all other cases).[67] The original plan for the EEA lacked the EFTA Court
EFTA Court or the EFTA Surveillance Authority, as the "EEA court" (which would be composed of five European Court of Justice
European Court of Justice members and three members from EFTA countries and which would be functionally integrated with the ECJ)[68] and the European Commission
European Commission were to exercise those roles. However, during the negotiations for the EEA agreement, the European Court of Justice informed the Council of the European Union
European Union (Opinion 1/91) that they considered that giving the EEA court jurisdiction with respect to EU law that would be part of the EEA law, would be a violation of the treaties, and therefore the current arrangement was developed instead. After having negotiated the Surveillance Authority, the ECJ confirmed its legality in Opinion 1/92. The EFTA
EFTA Secretariat is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The EFTA Surveillance Authority has its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
Belgium (the same location as the headquarters of the European Commission), while the EFTA Court
EFTA Court has its headquarters in Luxembourg
Luxembourg (the same location as the headquarters of the European Court of Justice). EEA and Norway
Norway Grants[edit] Main article: EEA and Norway
Norway Grants The EEA and Norway
Norway Grants are the financial contributions of Iceland, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein and Norway
Norway to reduce social and economic disparities in Europe. In the period from 2004 to 2009, €1.3 billion of project funding is made available for project funding in the 15 beneficiary states in Central and Southern Europe. Established in conjunction with the 2004 enlargement of the European Economic Area (EEA), which brings together the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein and Norway
Norway in the Internal Market, the EEA and Norway Grants were administered by the Financial Mechanism Office, which is affiliated to the EFTA
EFTA Secretariat in Brussels. See also[edit]

EudraVigilance European integration Free trade areas in Europe

Central European Free Trade Agreement EFTA

EU enlargement to EFTA
EFTA states

Accession of Iceland
Iceland to the European Union

Liechtenstein– European Union
European Union relations Norway– European Union
European Union relations Switzerland– European Union
European Union relations National identity cards in the European Economic Area Parallel importation Passports of the European Economic Area Schengen Agreement European Customs Union Trade bloc Eurasian Economic Union

References[edit]

^ a b c d "Agreement details". Council of the European Union. Retrieved 7 July 2013.  ^ a b c d e f "Agreement details". Council of the European Union. Retrieved 23 April 2014.  ^ " Eurostat
Eurostat - Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table". Epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu. 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ a b "AGREEMENT ON THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA". European Free Trade Association. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2017.  ^ "The Basic Features of the EEA Agreement European Free Trade Association". Efta.int. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ a b "2182-BULLETIN-2009-07:1897-THIS-IS-EFTA-24" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ a b c " Croatia
Croatia joins the EEA". European Free Trade Association. 12 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.  ^ a b c Bache, Ian and Stephen George (2006) Politics in the European Union. Second Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press: 543–548. ^ "1992". The EU at a glance – The History of the European Union. Europa. Archived from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 7 April 2010.  ^ "Final Act".  (434 KB) ^ Mitchener, Brandon (7 December 1992). "EEA Rejection Likely to Hurt Swiss Markets". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 April 2010.  ^ "1995". The EU at a glance – The History of the European Union. Europa. Archived from the original on 5 April 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2010.  ^ a b " Croatia
Croatia joins the EEA". Government of Norway. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.  ^ a b c d e "Agreement on the European Economic Area". European Union. 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2014-10-27.  ^ a b c d "Agreement details". Council of the European Union. 25 July 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2013.  ^ "Hrvatski sabor". Sabor.hr. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Agreement details". Council of the European Union. 14 October 2003. Retrieved 27 October 2014.  ^ "Protocol No 10 on Cyprus". Official Journal of the European Union. 2003-09-23. p. 955. Retrieved 2015-05-30.  ^ "Turkish Cypriot Community". European Commission. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.  ^ "AGREEMENT ON THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AREA" (PDF). European Free Trade Association. p. 40. Retrieved 2015-05-30.  ^ "AGREEMENT on the participation of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia
Slovenia and the Slovak Republic in the European Economic Area". European Union. 2004-04-29. Retrieved 2015-05-30.  ^ "EEA Agreement" (PDF). European Free Trade Association. Article 128. Retrieved 7 July 2013.  ^ EU Business Wire (April 2007). " European Union
European Union Enlargement". Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ http://daily.tportal.hr (20 June 2012). "Croatia's GDP remains at 61% of EU average". Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ European Commission
European Commission (December 2011). "European Economy" (PDF). page 12. Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ European Council
European Council (29 September 2011). " European Council
European Council Conclusions 23/24 June 2011" (PDF). para. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ "EU closes accession negotiations with Croatia". European Commission. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.  ^ "Croatians vote "Yes" to EU accession". 22 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.  ^ "Croatian gov't files for Croatia's entry into EEA". 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.  ^ Europaportalen (15 March 2013). "Forhandlinger med Kroatia om medlemskap i EØS" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ "Conclusions of the 40th meeting of the EEA Council Brussels, 19 November 2013" (PDF). Council of the EEA. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.  ^ "Minister of Foreign Affairs: European Economic Area
European Economic Area should work on reducing economic disparities". Council of the European Union. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.  ^ "Kroatia inn i EU" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.  ^ " Norway
Norway congratulates Croatia
Croatia on EU membership". The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Zagreb. 2 July 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.  ^ "Líklega lokað á Króata til 2015" (in Icelandic). RÚV. 13 July 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2013.  ^ " Croatia
Croatia one step closer to the EEA". European Free Trade Association. 20 December 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.  ^ "Enlargement of the EU and the EEA". Mission of Norway
Norway to the EU. 8 June 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2013.  ^ "Enlargement of the EEA". European Free Trade Association. Retrieved 4 July 2013.  ^ "EUR-Lex - 32004D0368 - EN". Eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ European Commission
European Commission (7 December 2011). "Acceding and candidate countries". Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ "Ec.europa.eu". European Commission. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2011.  ^ "The Stabilisation and Association Process". European Commission. 30 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.  ^ European Commission
European Commission (27 June 2013). "Kosovo". Retrieved 26 July 2013.  ^ Spongenberg, Helena (8 October 2007). " Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands seek closer EU relations". EUobserver. Retrieved 18 July 2009.  ^ "Convention Establishing the European Free Trade Association" (PDF). 21 June 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2009.  ^ a b c "The Faroes and the EU - possibilities and challenges in a future relationship" (PDF). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Faroes. 2010. p. 53. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2013.  ^ "Council conclusions on EU relations with EFTA
EFTA countries" (PDF). Council of the European Union. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2013.  ^ "EUR-Lex - 52012DC0680R(01) - EN". Eur-lex.europa.eu. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ "Norge sier nei til nye mikrostater i EØS". 19 May 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2013.  ^ "Innlegg på møte i Stortingets europautvalg". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.  ^ "Eide: Bedre blir det ikke". 21 December 2012. Archived from the original on 13 April 2013. Retrieved 1 April 2013.  ^ a b Aalberg Undheim, Eva (8 December 2012). "Regjeringa open for diskutere EØS-medlemskap for mikrostatar" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 6 April 2013.  ^ "La Norvegia chiude le porte a San Marino" (PDF). La Tribuna Sammarinese. 3 January 2013. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2013.  ^ "EU Relations with the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco
Monaco and the Republic of San Marino: Options for their participation in the Internal Market". European Commission. 18 November 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2013.  ^ "Leaving the EU - RESEARCH PAPER 13/42" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2015-05-19.  ^ "The Latest: Lithuania
Lithuania says UK must say if decision is final". CNBC. 2016-06-27. Archived from the original on 2016-07-03. Retrieved 2016-09-18 – via Associated Press.  ^ Norway's European affairs minister, Elisabeth Vik Aspaker, told the Aftenposten
Aftenposten newspaper: "It’s not certain that it would be a good idea to let a big country into this organisation. It would shift the balance, which is not necessarily in Norway’s interests". Patrick Wintour (2016-08-09). " Norway
Norway may block UK return to European Free Trade Association World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2016-08-17.  ^ Wilkinson, Michael (17 January 2017). " Theresa May
Theresa May confirms Britain will leave Single Market as she sets out 12-point Brexit
Brexit plan". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 January 2017.  ^ Wintour, Patrick (3 September 2017). "Efta court chief visits UK to push merits of ' Norway
Norway model'". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 March 2018.  ^ "Sturgeon hints the Scottish Government
Scottish Government could seek Norway-style EU relationship". 2016-11-17. Retrieved 2016-11-17.  ^ "Iceland: Scotland could not start applying for EFTA
EFTA until after independence". The Daily Telegraph. 2017-03-16. Retrieved 2017-03-24.  ^ "Free Movement of Persons European Free Trade Association". Efta.int. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ Lars-Erik Hauge. "Norway's financial contribution". eu-norway.org. Retrieved August 24, 2016. 10.08.2016  ^ Ekman, Ivar (27 October 2005). "In Norway, EU pros and cons (the cons still win)". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 May 2017.  ^ "House of Commons Hansard Debates for 8 Jun 2005 (pt 17)". Publications.parliament.uk. 2005-06-08. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ "Influencing the EU - EEA Decision Shaping European Free Trade Association". Efta.int. Retrieved 2017-05-07.  ^ Internal preparatory discussions on framework for future relationship - Governance of an International Agreement p. 14 ^ "The EEA Judicial System and the Supreme Courts of the EFTA
EFTA States" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-05-07. 

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to European Economic Area.

Text of the EEA Agreement Information about the EEA on the website of the Mission of Norway
Norway to the EU EEA Grants
EEA Grants and Norway
Norway Grants The EU and the European Economic Area
European Economic Area Europa (web portal): External Relations

v t e

Members of the European Economic Area
European Economic Area (EEA)

EFTA
EFTA member states

EEA membership

  Iceland
Iceland (EU relations)   Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (EU relations)   Norway
Norway (EU relations)

Membership rejected

   Switzerland
Switzerland (former signatory)

EU member states

EEA membership

 Austria  Belgium  Bulgaria  Cyprus  Czech Republic  Denmark  Estonia  Finland  France  Germany  Greece'  Hungary  Ireland  Italy  Latvia  Lithuania  Luxembourg  Malta  Netherlands  Poland  Portugal  Romania  Slovakia  Slovenia  Spain  Sweden  United Kingdom

Membership pending

  Croatia
Croatia (provisional member)

v t e

Europe articles

History

Chronology

Prehistory Classical antiquity Late antiquity Middle Ages Early modernity World War I
World War I & II Pax Europaea Crisis situations and unrest since 2000

By topic

Military Sovereignty

predecessor states

Geography

Areas and populations Countries by area

European microstates

Largest metropolitan areas Cities Extreme points Geology Islands Lakes Mountains Rivers Sovereign states and dependent territories

by population

Villages

Politics

Eurosphere International organisations Integration Law Politics Post-Soviet Europe Transatlantic relations

Intergovernmental

Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Europe
Council of Europe (CoE) Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) GUAM Organization North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Europe (OSCE)

statistics

European Union

Economy

relations free trade agreements

Education European Economic Area
European Economic Area (EEA) European Neighbourhood Policy
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) European Union
European Union Customs Union (EUCU) Eurozone Foreign relations Members

enlargement

Politics Schengen Area Statistics Visa policy

Economy

History Financial (and social) rankings Free trade areas Energy Telecommunications Transport

Intergovernmental

Central European Free Trade Agreement
Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia
Russia (CUBKR) Eurasian Economic Community
Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) European Free Trade Association
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Sovereign states by

Average wage Budget revenues

per capita

Corruption index GDP (nominal)

per capita

GDP (PPP)

per capita

GNI (nominal) per capita GNI (PPP) per capita HDI Internet users (%) Minimum wage Press Freedom Index Unemployment rate (%) Health expense per capita Military spending (%) Childhood population (%) Urban population (%) Life expectancy Electricity use per capita

Society

Etiquette Social (and financial) rankings Languages

endangered

Universities

Bologna Process Erasmus

Culture

Art

painting sculpture

Architecture Capital of Culture Cinema

film festivals

Classical music Cuisine Dance Literature Philosophy Religion

Christianity Islam Judaism

Sport Symbols

Demographics

Ageing Ethnic groups

genetic history

Immigration Life expectancy Retirement

Outline Index

Category Portal Maps

v t e

European Union articles

History

Timeline

Pre-1945 1945–57 1958–72 1973–93 1993–2004 Since 2004

Predecessors

Timeline Founders European Coal and Steel Community
European Coal and Steel Community (1951–2002) European Economic Community
European Economic Community (1958–1993/2009) Euratom (1958–present) European Communities
European Communities (1967–1993/2009) Justice and Home Affairs (1993–2009)

Geography

Extreme points Geographic centre Largest municipalities Urban areas Larger urban zones Member states Regions (first-level NUTS) Special
Special territories

Politics

Institutions

European Council European Commission European Parliament Council of the European Union Court of Justice of the European Union European Central Bank European Court of Auditors

Agencies

Banking Border and coast security (Frontex) Disease prevention and control Environment Foreign affairs (External Action Service) Judicial cooperation (Eurojust) Law enforcement cooperation (Europol) Maritime safety Reconstruction

Law

Acquis Charter of Fundamental Rights Competition law Copyright law Directive

Citizens’ Rights Directive

Enhanced cooperation Environmental policy Four freedoms

labour mobility

Government procurement Journal Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification Legislative procedure Citizens' Initiative Regulation Rural Development Policy Schengen Area Treaties

opt-outs

LGBT rights

Politics

Elections

parliamentary constituencies

Enlargement

1973 1981 1986 1995 2004 2007 2013 Future

Euromyths Political parties (National parties by affiliation) Euroscepticism Foreign relations Integration Parliamentary groups Pro-Europeanism Withdrawal (Brexit) 2012 Nobel Peace Prize

Economy

Budget Central bank Agricultural policy Fisheries policy Currencies Energy policy Euro Eurozone Free trade agreements Investment bank Investment fund Regional development Single market Societas Europaea Solidarity Fund Transport

Galileo navigation system

minimum wage average wage unemployment rate health expense per person Healthcare Health Insurance Card Driving licence European Common Aviation Area

Culture

Citizenship

passports identity cards

Cultural policies Demographics Douzelage Driving licence Education House of European History Institute of Innovation and Technology Laissez-passer Languages Media freedom Public holidays Religion Sport Telephone numbers Statistics Symbols

Lists

Concepts, acronyms, & jargon Agencies Books Companies Cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants Largest cities by population within city limits Directives Tallest buildings Terrorist incidents Vehicle registration plates

Theory

Eurosphere Intergovernmentalism Multi-speed Neofunctionalism Optimum currency area Supranational union

Outline

Book Category Portal

v t e

International reach and expansion of the European Union

Theory

Integration Eurosphere Pax Europaea Superpower status Federalisation

Reach

ACP (Economic Partnership Agreements) Association Agreement Free trade agreements Common Foreign and Security Policy
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) European Security and Defence Policy
European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) (missions) European Economic Area Stabilisation and Association Process Europeanisation High Representative (Bosnia) International Civilian Representative (Kosovo)

Partnerships

European Neighbourhood Policy
European Neighbourhood Policy (statistics) Eastern Partnership Northern Dimension Union for the Mediterranean

Representation

High Representative President of the European Council President of the European Commission Delegations of the European Parliament

Assets

Economy Euro
Euro (International status and usage) ECHO Galileo Military

Authority control

WorldCat Identities VIAF: 138522516 LCCN: n93007600 GN