The EEA Council discussed recent developments in the financial services field, noting the ongoing discussions about the EEA EFTA States’ participation in the European Supervisory Authorities, including the European Systemic Risk Board. Furthermore, the EEA Council underlined the importance of ensuring appropriate EEA EFTA participation in the new bodies set up under the Third Package for the Internal Energy Market, and welcomed the recent progress made with the Europe 2020 strategy and the Single Market Act. There was also a discussion on how to further improve the processing of acquis in the EEA Agreement.

Prior to the meeting of the EEA Council, the Ministers met within the framework of the political dialogue and discussed the situation in North Africa and the Middle East, the promotion of international criminal justice, Afghanistan – ten years after, and Myanmar.

The EEA Council met under the Presidency of Ms Aurelia Frick, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein. The meeting was attended by Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Mr Einar Gunnarsson, Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Mr Marcin Korolec, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Poland, representing the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, members of the Council of the European Union, and representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service.

Link to the EEA Council Conclusions

From left to right: Ms Beata Stelmach, Polish Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr Marcin Korolec, Polish Under-Secretary of state, Ministry of Economy. Copyright: European Council.

From left to right: Mr Niels Engelschiøn, Deputy Head, Mission of Norway to the EU; Ms Elisabeth Walaas, Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway; Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway.