Thirty-seventh meeting of the EEA Council in Brussels

The EEA Council took stock of the ongoing discussions regarding the modalities of the EEA EFTA States’ participation in the European Financial Supervisory Authorities, including the European Systemic Risk Board. The EEA Council also underlined the importance of ensuring appropriate EEA EFTA participation in the new bodies set up under the Third Package for the Internal Energy Market.

The EEA Council noted the recent progress made in the processing of acquis in the EEA and the outcome of the Norwegian EEA review, and welcomed the signing of the Treaty concerning the accession of Croatia to the EU, the incorporation of the European Aviation Safety Agency Regulation into the EEA Agreement.

Furthermore, the EEA Council marked the 20th Anniversary of the signing of the EEA Agreement on May 2, and looked forward to the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Single Market later this year .

After the meeting of the EEA Council, the Ministers met within the framework of the political dialogue and discussed developments with regards to the Arab Spring, North Africa, Iran, and the situation in Afghanistan/Pakistan.

The EEA Council met under the Presidency of Mr Villy Søvndal, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The meeting was attended by Mr Össur Skarphéðinsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Mr Martin Meyer, Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein, and by Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, as well as by Members of the Council of the European Union and Representatives of the European Commission and the European External Action Service.

Link to the EEA Council Conclusions

Mr Villy Søvndal, Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs (left) and Mr Martin Meyer, Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein (Photo: Council of the European Union)		Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs (left), and Mr Villy Søvndal, Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs (Photo: Council of the European Union)
Mr Össur Skarphedinsson, Icelandic Minister of Foreign Affairs (left), and Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs (Photo: EFTA Secretariat)		Mr Niels Engelschiøn, Deputy Head of the Mission of Norway to the EU (left) and Mr Kåre Bryn, Secretary-General, EFTA (Photo: EFTA Secretariat)		Mr Per Sjaastad, Deputy Director-General, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (left), Ms Bergdis Ellertsdottir, Deputy Secretary-General, EFTA, and Mr Thorir Ibsen, Ambassador, Mission of Iceland to the EU (Photo: Council of the European Union)