About EFTA News

  • Parliamentarians from EFTA and Vietnam express wish for closer trade ties   28.02.2011
    Chairman of the EFTA Parliamentary Committee Mr. Svein Roald Hansen and Vice Chairman of the National Assembly of Vietnam Mr. Nguyen Duc Kien.

    From 22 to 25 February 2011, a delegation from the EFTA Parliamentary Committee met with parliamentarians, officials and stakeholders in Hanoi, Vietnam, to discuss the merits of strengthened trade relations between the EFTA States and Vietnam. The delegation, which was led by Committee Chairman Mr Svein Roald Hansen, was invited by the National Assembly of Vietnam to meet with policy makers in the Assembly and in key ministries.

  • EFTA Council discusses relations with countries outside the European Union   08.02.2011
    EFTA Council

    The EFTA Council held its first meeting of 2011 on 7 February. The Chair presented Liechtenstein’s priorities for the first half of the year (see separate news item). The Council also reviewed EFTA’s recent activities with countries outside the European Union, including the start of free trade negotiations with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as well as those with Indonesia.

  • Priorities of the Liechtenstein Council Chair, first half of 2011   08.02.2011
    EFTA Chairmanship

    In the Council meeting on 7 February 2011, Liechtenstein presented its priorities of its EFTA Chairmanship for the first half of 2011, covering EFTA internal affairs as well as free trade relations with countries outside the European Union.

  • EFTA Council reviews Ministerial meeting and discusses free trade relations   07.12.2010
    EFTA Council logo

    On 6 December, the EFTA Council held its eleventh meeting of 2010. The Council reviewed the outcome of the recent EFTA Ministerial meeting and discussed free trade relations with countries outside the European Union.

  • EFTA Ministerial meeting, Geneva, 23 November 2010   23.11.2010
    EFTA Ministerial Meeting 23 November 2010

    On 23 November 2010, the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) held a Ministerial meeting in Geneva under the chairmanship of Mr Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs of Switzerland. Ministers from the four EFTA Member States were joined by Ms Elvira Nabiullina, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, Mr Nikolai Snopkov, Minister of Economy of the Republic of Belarus, and Ms Zhanar Aitzhanova, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan, for the official launch of negotiations on a broad-based free trade agreement.

  • EFTA Council prepares for Ministerial meeting on 23 November   18.11.2010
    EFTA Council logo

    On 16 November the EFTA Council met under the chairmanship of Switzerland, which holds the rotating EFTA Council Chair in the second half of the year. The Council prepared for the Ministerial meeting, which will be held in Geneva on 23 November, and authorised the Secretary-General to sign a new memorandum of understanding between Eurostat and EFTA.

  • Europe's Finance Ministers meet   17.11.2010
    EFTA Finance Ministers

    The annual meeting of EFTA and EU Finance Ministers took place on 17 November. The two items on the agenda were intelligent fiscal supervision and financial market regulation and supervision. The EFTA ECOFIN meeting was preceded by an internal meeting of the EFTA Ministers.

  • EFTA Council discusses relations with countries outside the EU   20.09.2010
    EFTA Council

    On 20 September the EFTA Council met under the Chairmanship of Switzerland, which holds the rotating EFTA Council Chair in the second half of the year. The Council reviewed relations with a number of countries outside the European Union, including several prospective new free trade partners. The Council approved funding for an EFTA-Serbia export promotion seminar later this year, and approved a number of financing agreements between EFTA and European standardisation organisations.

  • SwissPost launches EFTA stamp   02.09.2010
    SwissPost EFTA stamp

    A special EFTA stamp has been issued by SwissPost to commemorate EFTAs 50th anniversary this year. "The full unifying function of EFTA, with its trading partners, will be revealed though a series of stamps", explained Swiss Post Chairman, Peter Hasler, in a press conference on 2 September.

  • EFTA Council reviews Ministerial meeting and discusses relations with countries outside the EU   22.07.2010
    EFTA Council logo

    The EFTA Council met on 20 July for the seventh time in 2010 and was chaired by Liechtenstein as Vice-Chair. It commended Iceland on its successful hosting of the Ministerial meeting in June and discussed relations with countries outside the European Union, notably Peru, Indonesia, Hong Kong China and Singapore.