EEA EFTA Chair presents priorities for second half of 2016

Published 07-07-2016
On 1 July 2016, Iceland took over the rotating Chair of the EFTA Standing Committee for the second-half of the year. Among the key priorities in the work programme is to monitor the outcome of the UK's referendum on the EU.
The EFTA Standing Committee and the EEA Joint Committee met in Brussels on 7 and 8 July 2016 respectively. Iceland's Head of Mission to the EU, Ms. Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, presented six main priorities for the chairmanship for the second half of 2016. Key priorities in the work programme include:
  • Legal acts awaiting incorporation. Continue the work to further reduce the number of legal acts awaiting incorporation in the EEA Agreement. Efforts will in particular focus on acts and packages that have been outstanding for a long time.
  • European financial supervision. Swiftly incorporate the first package of acts related to the European Financial Supervisory Authorities. Furthermore, continue working towards swift incorporation of all legal acts related to the European Financial Supervisory Authorities. 
  • Monitor the outcome of the UKs referendum on the EU with a view of maintaining close economic and trade relations with the UK, which is one of the major trading partners of the EEA EFTA countries. 
  • EEA EFTA decision shaping of EEA-relevant EU legislation and policies. Focus on key issues in the pre-pipeline and pipeline stage and encourage EEA EFTA comments and appropriate follow-up where relevant.
  • EEA Financial Mechanism. Ensure the provisional application of the Agreement as soon as possible.
  • Information and knowledge of the EEA Agreement. Strengthening the knowledge of the EEA Agreement and the new EEA Financial Mechanism for the 2014-2021 period in the EU institutions and EU Member States as well as in the EFTA institutions and in the EEA EFTA States, including through the organisation of events and spreading knowledge of available EEA information tools and systems.
Click here for the full work programme of the Icelandic Chair. 

At its meeting on 8 July in Brussels, the EEA Joint Committee adopted 28 decisions incorporating 38 EU acts into the EEA Agreement.

List of EEA Joint Committee Decisions adopted in 2016 (decision no. 134-154 and 156-162 adopted on 8 July) 

Provisional texts of EEA Joint Committee Decisions adopted on 8 July

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