The Standing and Joint Committee met on 3 and 4 December 2009, respectively. The Joint Committee adopted 40 Decisions incorporating 67 legal acts, one of the most significant of which was the Decision on the inclusion of monitoring and reporting guidelines for emissions in the aviation sector.
This will ensure that the same base year for both the EU 27 and the EEA EFTA States is used when setting the benchmarks for emission allowances and the allocation of quotas. Other important acts were the so-called NEC Directive on national emissions ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants and the Directive on EEA EFTA participation in the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, more commonly known as the Bilbao Agency.
The Standing Committee adopted a Decision to establish a Forum of Elected Representatives of Local and Regional Authorities for the EEA EFTA States. The Norwegian Chair issued the Final Report of its Chairmanship, noting that the main focus of its chairmanship had been in the areas of climate change and energy, the legislative proposals in connection with the financial crisis, and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.
In the Joint Committee the following day the EEA EFTA States reiterated a request from the EFTA Parliamentary Committee that EEA EFTA national parliaments receive legislative proposals from the Commission at the same time and in the same manner as the national parliaments of the EU Member States.