Advisory bodies meet with EFTA Ministers to discuss EEA and free trade

The meeting was co-chaired by the Chair of the Consultative Committee, Mr Thomas Angell, and the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee, MrGuðlaugur Þór Þórðarson. It was attended by Mr Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Iceland and Chair of the Standing Committee at Ministerial level; Mr Vidar Helgesen, Minister of EEA and EU Affairs, Norway; and Mr Kurt Jäger, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Liechtenstein to the EU.

As President of the EEA Council in the second half of 2013, Minister Sveinsson made a statement detailing the discussions that had taken place at the EEA Council, both on the overall functioning of the EEA Agreement and on the political dialogue.

Members of the two committees put numerous questions to the Ministers regarding financial services and financial supervision, the EEA enlargement to Croatia, and the negotiations on a new funding period of the EEA and Norway Grants. They also raised questions related to climate and energy as well as the Pediatric Directive and the Third Postal Directive.

The same day, the EFTA Consultative Committee also met with Ms Aurelia Frick, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Liechtenstein, to discuss developments in EFTA’s third-country relations. Minister Frick briefed the Committee on the outcome of the EFTA Ministerial meeting in Geneva on 18 November and exchanged views with EFTA’s social partners on the latest developments in free trade. The Committee meets each autumn with the EFTA Ministerial Chair, in addition to the June Ministerial meeting, when it meets with all four EFTA Ministers responsible for external trade.