Under the joint chairmanship of Ms Bilyana RAEVA (ALDE, Bulgaria) and the Vice-President Mr Svein Roald HANSEN (Labour Party, Norway), the Joint Parliamentary Committee adopted unanimously 2 resolutions and 1 recommendation on the following topics:

Resolution: The Annual Report on the Functioning of the EEA Agreement in 2007
Co-rapporteurs:  Ms Renate WOHLWEND (Progressive Citizen’s Party, Liechtenstein), and Mr Alyn SMITH (Greens/EFA, United Kingdom)

In the resolution the EEA JPC concluded that the EEA is functioning well. It welcomed that at the beginning of 2008 the issues that had caused considerable problems and delays in 2007, such as the EEA Enlargement, free movement of persons, EEA EFTA participation in EFSA, and the Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading Scheme, had been solved. At the same time, the EEA JPC reiterated its concern about these delays and urged the relevant authorities to use all means necessary to prevent such differences going unsolved in the future. The EEA JPC also welcomed Bulgaria and Romania as new members of the EEA and EEA EFTA participation in the new generation of EU programmes 2007-2013. However, the EEA JPC regretted that it had not been possible to secure EEA EFTA participation in the EU Gender Institute in 2007 and requested detailed explanation for this from the relevant authorities. Finally, the EEA JPC recommended that the EEA EFTA States and the European Commission start consultations on the EEA EFTA States’ possible financial contributions to reduce the social and economic disparities in the European Economic Area after April 2009, with the aim of a timely conclusion.

Resolution: Health services in the European Economic Area
Co-rapporteurs:  Mr Svein Roald HANSEN (Labour Party, Norway), and Mr Paul RÜBIG (EPP/Austria)

In the resolution the EEA JPC stressed the importance that any action in the field of cross-border health services does not undermine national values and principles and the quality of health services. The Committee also underlined the importance of maintaining a sufficient supply of health services in scarcely populated areas, and emphasised the maintenance of spesialised services and that developments in the area of patient mobility do not lead to greater social inequality with respect to accessibility to health services. The EEA JPC emphasised that the responsibility to organise and finance the national health and social security systems should remain with the EEA States in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity; however, a common approach should be considered – be it through the coordination of national policies or, in specific cases, even trough harmonisation to create a health system for the benefit of the patients. The EEA JPC also urged the establishment of common quality standards within the European Union and the independent and neutral information of patients about the quality of care within the Member States. Finally, the EEA JPC underlined the potential benefits of competition and diversity seen from the patients’ point of view to enhance the quality and increase choices as regards the current and future development of healthcare and in this way increase the rights of the consumers.

Recommendation: Future Perspectives for the EEA
Co-rapporteurs:  Ms Katrín JÚLÍUSDÓTTIR (Social Democratic Alliance, Iceland) and Ms Bilyana RAEVA (ALDE, Bulgaria)

As a follow-up to its Working Paper on the Future Perspectives for the EEA, which was discussed and agreed at the previous EEA JPC meeting in Strasbourg on 15 November 2007, and in light of the adopted Treaty of Lisbon, the EEA JPC agreed on a Recommendation requesting national parliaments in the EEA EFTA States, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the EEA EFTA States to provide input to the Committee’s future work on the functioning of the EEA Agreement. More specifically, the national parliaments in the EEA EFTA States were asked to provide a factual description of their respective EEA related work; the European Parliament was asked to provide its opinion on the effects of the Treaty of Lisbon and on its future cooperation with national parliaments, including with the national EEA EFTA parliaments on EEA related matters; the European Commission was asked to consider whether new legislative proposals of EEA relevance which will be sent to the national parliaments in the EU also be sent to the national EEA EFTA parliaments; and, finally, the EEA EFTA States were asked to provide a comprehensive analysis of the implications of the Treaty of Lisbon on the EEA cooperation.

Ambassador Jožef DROFENIK, representing the Slovenian Presidency in-office of the EEA Council, Ms Elisabeth WALAAS, Norwegian State Secretary of Foreign Affairs, representing the EFTA President of the EEA Council, Mr Matthias BRINKMANN, representing the President in-office of the EEA Joint Committee, Ambassador Oda H. SLETNES, the EFTA President of the EEA Joint Committee, and Mr Per SANDERUD, President of the EFTA Surveillance Authority briefed the JPC on the functioning and development of the EEA Agreement and exchanged views with Committee members.

Members of the Swiss Parliament attended the meeting as observers.

The next EEA JPC meeting is scheduled to take place in Brussels on 3-4 November 2008.

The adopted resolutions can be found in the section for latest Resolutions and Opinions, here.

For further information, please contact:

European Parliament
Mr Henrik Olsen
tel: +32-2-284 27 79
henrik.olsen@europarl.europa.eu

European Free Trade Association
Mr Andri Lúthersson
tel: +32-2-286 17 24
andri.luthersson@efta.int