European Economic Area

  • EFTA countries ( except Switzerland )
  • Iceland Iceland Liechtenstein Liechtenstein Norway Norway
  • EU Member States
  • Belgium Bulgaria Denmark Denmark Germany Germany Estonia Estonia Finland Finland France France Greece Greece Ireland Ireland Italy Italy Croatia Croatia Latvia Latvia Lithuania Lithuania Luxembourg Luxembourg Malta Malta Netherlands The Netherlands Austria Austria Poland Poland Portugal Romania Romania Sweden Sweden Slovakia Slovakia Slovenia Slovenia Spain Czech Republic Czech Republic Hungary Hungary United Kingdom United Kingdom Cyprus Republic of Cyprus

The European Economic Area (EEA ) is an in-depth free-trade area between the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The Agreement of 2 May 1992, which have closed ( with the exception of Switzerland ) and the EU Member States, the EFTA Member States, it extends the single European market to Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, so he holds a total of 31 countries. EEA-wide apply in particular the four freedoms of movement of goods, persons, services and capital, with special provisions for agricultural goods. Third country goods to be excluded on rules of origin. It was created with about 510 million inhabitants of the Arctic to the Mediterranean and an annual economic output of more than 7.5 trillion U.S. dollars (as of 1994) the largest economic zone in the world. In the European Economic Area is taking place about half of world trade.

  • 6.1 Finland, Sweden and Austria
  • 6.2 Iceland
  • 6.3 Switzerland
  • 6.4 Liechtenstein
  • 6.5 Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia

Formation

Already in the founding of EFTA in 1960 was to regulate relations between the European Economic Community ( EEC) and the EFTA Member States of the goals of the organization. After 1973, the EFTA countries, the UK and Denmark joined the European Communities together with Ireland, a close cooperation between the EFTA States and the EEC developed. A first important step was reached when the EFTA States graduating 1972-1977 individual free trade agreement with the EEC.

From the mid- 80s, the economic level of integration, increased within the EU, in particular through the implementation of the Single Market Programme ( realization of the four freedoms: free movement of persons, goods, services and capital ). In 1984, at a joint ministerial meeting of the EEC and EFTA in Luxembourg brought the establishment of a European Economic Area for the language (see also European Free Trade Association).

After 1987, the EC members had the implementation of the goal of an "area without internal frontiers " enshrined in the Single European Act in 1992, in 1989 was followed by EC Commission President Jacques Delors proposals in order to ensure the broadest possible participation of the seven EFTA countries in the EU internal market to enable. In 1990, concrete negotiations that ended in Oporto on 2 May 1992 with the signing of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (see also European Free Trade Association # 1989-95: EEA and second EC northern extension).

The Parties were the twelve former EU Member States (Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Great Britain, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Portugal) and the seven EFTA countries Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Besides Switzerland, all EFTA countries have ratified the EEA Agreement, which entered into force on 1 January 1994, with Liechtenstein, however, fully participated until 1 May 1995.

Tasks

The EEA is a free trade zone depth. The EEA Agreement also includes competition and some other joint arrangements, as well as " horizontal" in the context of the four freedoms provisions ( social policy, consumer protection, environment, statistics, company law ). Furthermore, the respective, adopted by the EU secondary legislation is adopted for the EEA. Also EEA law " EU - compliant" is to be interpreted.

Regulations

In the EEA, the duties were abolished among the Member States and there are about 80 % of the EU internal market rules. However, it is not a customs union with a common customs tariff. Furthermore - unlike in the EU - to be paid on the import consumption taxes. However, the EEA is more than a mere free trade area due to the applicability of a variety of harmonized rules.

For the EEA countries that are not members of the EU, carried out the monitoring of the EEA Agreement and the derived rules by the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the EFTA Court. For EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Court have jurisdiction. One speaks in this context of the "two -pillar structure ". The EEA Agreement is adjusted regularly to the development of the relevant EC law (so-called acquis communautaire). For this, a decision of the EEA Joint Committee is necessary. Since the EEA countries represented on the expert groups of the European Commission, they can at least be actively involved in shaping the legislation in advance.

Organs

The EEA Treaty entrusts tasks to multiple organs, have the legislative, executive, judicial or advisory function.

Legislators

The Council is composed of representatives of the Governments of the Member States. He developed guidelines to ensure the implementation of the objectives of the Treaty and must be respected by the Member States. The Joint Parliamentary EEA Joint Committee shall be composed of Members of the European Parliament and the Parliaments of the EFTA States. It may make its views in the form of reports or resolutions.

Executive bodies

The EEA Joint Committee monitors the implementation of the Treaty by the Member States. In the EU countries, this task falls further, the European Commission, the EFTA countries of the EFTA Surveillance Authority.

Judikativorgane

A breach of EU Member States notes the European Court of Justice, violations of EFTA Member States, the EFTA Court.

Consultative

The Consultative Committee representatives meet of stakeholders from the Member States. He has only an advisory role.

Development

  • May 2, 1992: Signing of the Agreement on the European Economic Area ( EEA Agreement) by the EU, the then twelve EU Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom) and the EFTA countries ( Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Austria, Switzerland ) in Porto
  • December 6, 1992: The Swiss voters reject the candidate on the ballot with 49.7 % votes in favor and only 7 of 23 Canton votes in a turnout of 78.8 percent.
  • 1 January 1994: Entry into force of the EEA Agreement for Finland, Iceland, Norway, Austria, Sweden
  • March 17, 1994: Protocol adjusting the EEA Agreement, since Switzerland had not ratified the EEA Agreement
  • May 1, 1995: Entry into force of the EEA Agreement for Liechtenstein
  • October 14, 2003: Signing of the Agreement on the first enlargement of the European Economic Area by the EU, the EU candidate countries (Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia) and the remaining EFTA countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, but not Switzerland ) in Luxembourg
  • May 1, 2004: Entry into force of the first enlargement Agreement, simultaneously with the accession of new Contracting States to the EU
  • July 25, 2007: Signing of the Agreement on the second expansion of the European Economic Area by the EU, the new EU Member States (Bulgaria and Romania) and the remaining EFTA countries ( Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, but not Switzerland ) in Brussels
  • August 1, 2007: Entry into force of the second extension agreement for Bulgaria and Romania, seven months after their EU accession
  • 1 July 2013: Accession of Croatia to the European Union

Implementation in the Contracting

Finland, Sweden and Austria

Finland, Sweden and Austria took effect on 1 January 1995 the EU. The provisions of the EEA agreement were between these countries and other EU Member States, only from 1 January 1994 to 31 December 1994 on the application, and then the Treaty on European Union took precedence.

Iceland

Since Iceland is associated since 1973 with the EU through a free trade agreement and since 1994 as a member of the European Economic Area ( EEA), the negotiations could get on well despite the stumbling blocks. EU diplomats held a Iceland's accession in 2012 or 2013 possible. However, in the current situation ( economic crisis ), the Icelanders speak for the majority of the withdrawal of the membership application.

Switzerland

Switzerland has not ratified the only EFTA State, the EEA Multilateral agreements after a slight majority of Swiss citizens and a significant majority of the cantons had rejected the participation of Switzerland on 6 December 1992 in a referendum (vote result ). Switzerland has an observation status in the EEA bodies. This will allow the Confederates to pursue the development of the EEA and the EC legislation nearby. In addition, Switzerland was opened a full-time membership option in Article 128 of the EEA Agreement.

The Swiss government has since pursued bilaterally their goal to make the country economically to participate in the four freedoms of the EEA. Unlike the EEA Agreement, there are in bilateral negotiations only two negotiating partners ( European Commission and the Swiss Government ), which allowed special regulations for Switzerland. Two years after the EEA No negotiations on bilateral sectoral agreements were taken in 1999 seven bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the European Union were finally signed, which came into force on 1 June 2002. In 2004, the signing of a second package of sectoral agreements (Bilateral Agreements II), its effective date to the actual abolition of border controls at the Swiss land borders completed end of 2009 took place. The Council of the European Union decided in December 2012 that there will be no new bilateral agreements on the model of the previous agreements with Switzerland more.

Liechtenstein

A week after the Swiss "No" approved the people of Liechtenstein 's accession. The reigning Prince had already come out of the EEA Agreement. Since Liechtenstein is simultaneously part of the Swiss economic area and forms a monetary and customs union with Switzerland, the text of the treaty with regard to this overlap situation had to be revised. The Protocol adjusting the EEA Agreement was approved on 9 April 1995 by the Liechtenstein people, so that the country could join the agreement with effect from 1 May 1995.

Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia

Bulgaria and Romania are 2007 EU member since January 1, EEA, however, occurred in only on 1 August 2007. This resulted in the transition period to the curious situation that the free internal trade between the EFTA States and the two acceding countries was secured only through the detour of another EEA Member State contract. The same is true, since Croatia joined the European Union, for that State.

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