EFTA Seminar on the EEA and Bilateral Trade Agreements

On the first day of the event, representatives of the EFTA Secretariat, the EFTA Court, the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA), the EFTA Statistical Office (ESO) and the EFTA Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) gave presentations explaining the day-to-day operation and management of the EEA Agreement from their respective areas of work.

The second day gave participants a comparison of and insight into EFTA's and the EU's approach to bilateral trade agreements. Mr Didier Chambovey, Deputy Secretary-General, EFTA Secretariat, presented the EFTA perspective while the EU approach was introduced by Mr João Aguiar Machado, Deputy Director-General, DG Trade, European Commission. Mr Stephen Woolcock, Head of the London School of Economics (LSE) International Trade Policy Unit, added further details and highlighted similarities and differences between the EU and EFTA in the field of bilateral trade. The presentations were followed by a fruitful and dynamic discussion involving speakers and participants.

We would like to thank the speakers and participants for making the seminar a success. Links to the various presentations can be found below:

Programme of the seminar

List of presentations in chronological order:

Day 1

Tore Grønningsæter (EFTA Secretariat)
Skuli Magnusson (EFTA Court)
Gabriel Gamez (ESO)
Per Sanderud (ESA)
Sigve Soldal Bjorstad (FMO)

Day 2

Didier Chambovey (EFTA Secretariat)
Joao Aguiar Machado (DG TRADE)
Stephen Woolcock (LSE)