EEA Agreement

The Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), which entered into force on 1 January 1994, brings together the 27 EU Members and the three EFTA countries* — Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — in a single internal market, referred to as the “Internal Market.”

* Switzerland is not part of the EEA Agreement, but has a bilateral agreement with the EU. You can read more about this agreement on the European Commission website, and on the Swiss Federal Administration website.

The EEA Agreement provides for the inclusion of EU legislation that covers the four freedoms — the free movement of goods, services, persons and capital — throughout the 30 EEA States. In addition, the Agreement covers co-operation in other important areas such as research and development, education, social policy, the environment, consumer protection, tourism and culture, collectively known as “flanking and horizontal” policies. The Agreement guarantees equal rights and obligations within the Internal Market for citizens and economic operators in the EEA.

What is the EEA Not?

The EEA Agreement does not cover the EU’s:

Common Agriculture and Fisheries Policies (although the Agreement contains provisions on various aspects of trade in agricultural and fish products);
Customs Union;
Common Trade Policy;
Common Foreign and Security Policy;
Justice and Home Affairs (even though the EFTA countries are part of the Schengen area) and;
Monetary Union (EMU).

EEA Resources:

EU Documents