• EFTA Standing and EEA Joint Committees meet on 27 and 28 September 2012   28.09.2012
    Gianluca Grippa, Head of Division, European External Action Service and Atle Leikvoll, Norwegian Ambassador to the EU.

    The EFTA Standing Committee and EEA Joint Committee met in Brussels on 27 and 28 September, respectively. Norway was Chair both of the Standing Committee and, on behalf of the EEA EFTA States, of the Joint Committee.

  • Consumer Protection Central to Future European Sales Law   27.09.2012

    In an official comment to the Commission’s proposal for a common European sales law, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway underline that any possible European instrument on sales law would need a high level of consumer protection. The three EEA EFTA States also question whether the proposed regulation is likely to enhance cross-border trade to the benefit of both consumers and businesses.

  • Highlights from the Subcommittees I-IV meeting and the Joint Subcommittees I-IV meeting on 18 September 2012   20.09.2012
    Gianluca Grippa, Head of Unit, European External Action Service, at the meeting of the EEA Joint Subcommittee I-IV on 18 September 2012.

    The Subcommittees met with the European External Action Service (EEAS) and discussed the state of play of outstanding acts for incorporation into the EEA Agreement, parliamentary procedures for adopted EEA Joint Committee Decisions and a number of draft EEA Joint Committee Decisions currently under discussion with the EU.

  • EFTA Seminar on the EEA: The evolution of the Single Market and the EEA Agreement – 20 years on   14.09.2012
    Participants at the EFTA Seminar on the EEA

    Approximately 120 participants from both the public and private sectors in the EEA met at the EFTA Secretariat in Brussels on 13-14 September 2012 for the biannual seminar on the EEA.

  • EEA EFTA Comment on the Commission’s Proposal on the Modernisation of the Professional Qualifications Directive   14.09.2012

    Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway has submitted an EEA EFTA Comment to the EU on the Commission’s proposal on the moder­nisation of the professional qualifications rules, in which they welcomed the efforts of the European Union to modernise and simplify the Directive on Professional Qualifications, originally adopted in 2005. They also supported the emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning. Next week, the proposal will be discussed both in the European Parliament and the European Council.

  • Multiannual control program for pesticides in food   26.07.2012

    The EEA Joint Committee decided yesterday to incorporate Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1274/11 on pesticide analysis into the EEA Agreement. The multiannual control program for 2012 – 2014 ensures compliance with maximum levels of pesticides in and on food of plant and animal origin.

  • Revised ETS Package incorporated into the EEA Agreement   26.07.2012

    The Revised Emissions Trading Scheme Directive (2009/29/EC) and nine other related acts were incorporated into the EEA Agreement yesterday, making the EEA EFTA States part of the improved and extended greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme (EU ETS), which began operating in the European Union in 2005. The EEA EFTA States of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have participated in the EU ETS since 2008.

  • Goods Package Incorporated   13.07.2012

    Three EU legal acts on products, generally referred to as the “Goods Package”, were among the acts incorporated into the EEA Agreement on 13 July 2012. The package aims to remove remaining barriers to the free movement of products, and contribute to the simplification of trade in goods within the EEA.

  • Road Toll Directive into the EEA with Amendments   13.07.2012

    The Eurovignette Directive, which was incorporated into the EEA Agreement on 13 July 2012, establishes a framework for the charging of heavy goods vehicles for the use of road infrastructure. Adaptations to the Directive, agreed upon by the EEA Joint Committee, ensure that Norway can partly retain the current level of discounts in tolls.

  • EFTA Standing and EEA Joint Committees meet on 12 and 13 July 2012   13.07.2012
    Ambassador Atle Leikvoll, Mission of Norway to the EU, chairing the EEA Joint Committee Meeting on 13 July 2012

    The EFTA Standing Committee and EEA Joint Committee met in Brussels on 12 and 13 July, respectively. Norway took over as Chair of both the Standing Committee and, on behalf of the EEA EFTA States, the Joint Committee. The EEA Joint Committee incorporated 28 EU acts into the EEA Agreement, including the Eurovignette Directive, the Temporary Agency Work Directive, the Goods Package, and the GMES programme.