About EFTA News

  • EFTA Ministers discuss UK relations and future free trade agreements   21.11.2016
    From left: Ms Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Iceland; Mr Högni Kristjánsson, Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Iceland, Geneva

    On 21 November 2016, EFTA held its biannual Ministerial Meeting in Geneva. The meeting was chaired by Ms Lilja Alfreðsdóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Iceland.

  • EFTA Council prepares for Ministerial meeting in Geneva   10.11.2016
    From left: Mr Adalsteinn Leifsson, Director, Secretary-Generals Office, EFTA, Mr Högni Kristjánsson, Head of Iceland’s Mission to the International Organizations in Geneva

    On 10 November, at the third EFTA Council meeting in 2016 under the chairmanship of Iceland, the Council discussed preparations for the upcoming EFTA Ministerial meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on 21 November.

  • The annual ECOFIN-EFTA meeting focused on economic growth and investments   08.11.2016
    From left: Ms Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, Ambassador, Mission of Iceland to the EU, Mr Adrian Hasler, Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Liechtenstein, Ms Siv Jensen, Minister for Finance of Norweay, and Mr Ueli Maurer, Federal Councillor, Head of the Federal Department of Finance Switzerland.

    The EFTA economic and finance ministers and ECOFIN ministers met at their annual EFTA-ECOFIN meeting to discuss economic, financial and political items of common interest. In the context of the moderate economic recovery in Europe, ministers focused their discussion on the appropriate policy strategy to strengthen the economic growth and employment, with an emphasis on boosting the subdued investments across the continent.

  • Ambassador Luzius Wasescha (1946-2016)   19.10.2016
    Ambassador Luzius Wasescha chairing the EFTA Council on 20 September 2010.

    Ambassador Luzius Wasescha who served as Permanent Representative of Switzerland to EFTA from 2007 to 2012 sadly passed away on 12 October.

  • EFTA Council approves new three-year arrangement with Eurostat   05.10.2016
    Ambassador Högni Kristjánsson and Deputy Head Nína Björk Jónsdóttir, Permanent Mission of Iceland to the International Organizations in Geneva.

    The EFTA Council has approved an arrangement with Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, regarding technical cooperation in the field of statistics. It will cover a three-year period, from 2017 to 2019, and involves a financial commitment amounting to EUR 2.1 million over the three years, which is the same amount as in the previous period.

  • Swiss Ambassador presents credentials to Secretary-General   05.09.2016
    From left: Mr Didier Chambovey, Ambassador, Switzerland; Mr Kristinn F. Árnason, Secretary-General, EFTA

    Ambassador Didier Chambovey met with Secretary-General Kristinn F. Árnason on 5 September 2016 in Geneva to present his credentials as Switzerland’s representative to EFTA.

  • Icelandic Ambassador presents credentials to Secretary-General   22.08.2016
    From left: Mr Högni S. Kristjánsson, Ambassador, Iceland; Mr Kristinn F. Árnason, Secretary-General, EFTA

    Ambassador Högni S. Kristjánsson met with Secretary-General Kristinn F. Árnason on 22 August 2016 in Geneva to present his credentials as Iceland‘s representative to EFTA.

  • EFTA Council Chair outlines priorities for second half of 2016   12.07.2016
    Ambassador Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Mission of Iceland to the International Organizations  in Geneva.

    Iceland, holding the rotating Council Chair for the second half of 2016, presented its priorities at the EFTA Council meeting in Geneva on 12 July.

  • EFTA Ministerial meeting, Bern, Switzerland, 27 June 2016   27.06.2016
    Mr Johann N. Schneider-Ammann (EFTA Chair), President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Councillor, Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

    At the summer Ministerial meeting in Bern on 27 June, EFTA Ministers signed a Free Trade Agreement with Georgia and launched negotiations with Ecuador. They also discussed the outcome of the UK’s referendum on EU membership and its possible implications. They underlined the importance of maintaining close trade relations with the UK, which is one of the major trading partners of the EFTA countries.

  • EFTA’s Annual Report for 2015 published   28.04.2016

    The 55th Annual Report of the European Free Trade Association has been published. The report contains an overview of the functions and activities of EFTA throughout 2015 in the areas of managing the EEA Agreement, EFTA’s worldwide network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and the EFTA Convention.