EFTA holds first technical workshop on preference utilisation

Funded through the 2026 EFTA technical cooperation work programme in the field of statistics and co-organised by the EFTA Statistical Office (Luxembourg), the workshop took place at the EFTA premises in Geneva under the responsibility of the EFTA Secretariat’s preference utilisation team. It pursued two main objectives: to raise awareness of the benefits of monitoring and analysing the use of tariff preferences, and to promote the regular and sustained exchange of import data between participating EFTA partner countries and EFTA.

The workshop builds on EFTA Member States’ sustained efforts to monitor preference utilisation, which have been underway since 2021. A key milestone in these efforts was reached in May 2026 with the launch of the EFTA Free Trade Dashboard, an interactive platform providing dynamic insights into the use of tariff preferences and the first portal of its kind. Through the Dashboard, EFTA tracks nearly USD 70 billion in trade with its free trade agreement (FTA) partners.  

The Dashboard makes this information accessible to the public, providing data-driven insights into the use of tariff preferences in trade in goods under both EFTA free trade agreements and bilateral trade agreements. Beyond statistical reporting, the Dashboard demonstrates the tangible impact of trade liberalisation, thereby promoting closer economic cooperation, and underlining EFTA’s continued commitment to a transparent, predictable and rules-based trading system that supports shared prosperity.

The workshop combined practical sessions and hands-on exercises led by the EFTA Secretariat’s preference utilisation team with presentations by speakers from the European Union and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), reflecting growing international interest in monitoring and analysing preference utilisation. 

For more information on the EFTA Free Trade Dashboard and EFTA’s free trade network, please consult pu.efta.int.