From left to right: Kurt Jäger, EFTA Secretary-General, Einar Gunnarsson, Ambassador of Iceland, Permanent Representative to EFTA, the WTO and other International Organisations in Geneva, and Ögmundur Hrafn Magnússon, Counsellor of Iceland, Deputy Permanent Representative to EFTA, Permanent Mission of Iceland in Geneva
The EFTA Council met for its seventh and final meeting of 2025 on 9 December in Geneva. This was the third Council meeting of the year with Iceland in the chair.
During the meeting, the Council adopted several key decisions, including the appointment of Norwegian and Icelandic members to the EFTA Board of Auditors “at four”, the endorsement of the 2024 Performance and Budget Report, the approval of the 2024 surplus accounts, and the adoption of the EFTA budget for 2026 as recommended by the EFTA Budget Committee.
On EFTA–EU relations, the Secretariat presented an update on recent developments, including the EEA Council meeting of 20 November, chaired by Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs. Discussions during the meeting had addressed the EU’s simplification agenda, the functioning of the EEA Agreement, political dialogue on Ukraine, transatlantic relations, and developments in the Middle East. At its meeting on 5 December, the EEA Joint Committee had adopted 69 decisions incorporating 142 legal acts into the EEA Agreement, bringing the backlog back down to just over 500 acts.
Regarding EFTA’s relations with third countries, the Secretariat reported on new agreements that had entered into force, and provided updates on ratification processes for signed agreements. The Council was also briefed on the 18th round of free trade negotiations with Viet Nam, held in Da Nang from 25 to 28 November.
The meeting concluded with an exchange of views on broader policy developments.
The next EFTA Council meeting is scheduled for 27 January 2026.
