EEA parliamentarians resolute in grasping opportunities of ever-closer cooperation

Boosting Europe’s competitiveness and autonomy was the key focus for EFTA parliamentarians when they met with their European Parliament counterparts for the 62nd meeting of the EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee (EEA JPC) on 21 and 22 November in Oslo. This was their second meeting in 2024 and the first following the European elections.

The meeting was co-chaired by Christophe Grudler, acting President of the EEA JPC and member of the EP delegation for relations with the EFTA countries and the EEA, and Daniel Seger, Vice Chair of the EFTA Parliamentary Committee and acting EEA JPC Vice President.

An EEA that builds resilience…

Against the backdrop of the recent US elections and the current European security landscape, the EEA JPC assessed further avenues of cooperation to increase Europe’s industrial defence capacity. Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner-Designate for Defence and Space, stated that if confirmed by the European Parliament, he would work on preparing a White Paper on European Defence in his first 100 days. He stressed the need to prepare for all scenarios and to increase stocks of military equipment to cope with current security challenges.

This was echoed by the EFTA Chair of the EEA Joint Committee, Ambassador Anders H. Eide, who stated that “Norway has also committed to participate in the new EU initiatives aimed at enhancing ammunition production capacity and promoting the joint procurement of defence capabilities. This demonstrates not only the adaptability but also the solidarity of our EEA Agreement”.

This joint endeavour was showcased when the EEA JPC members visited the Nordic Ammunition Company (NAMMO), one of the world’s leading providers of speciality ammunition and rocket motors for both military and civilian customers.

…and drives competitiveness

In addition to the security dimension, the EEA JPC discussed other key recommendations in the Draghi report regarding scaling up innovation and decarbonisation. In his statement, Mr Seger underlined that “the EU intends to use all of its instruments in a coherent manner to boost competitiveness. These initiatives are of major importance to the EEA EFTA States, which, as full participants of the Internal Market, also drive growth and competitiveness in Europe”.

As part of their joint efforts, the committee members addressed the EUR 3.2 billion financial envelope provided by the EEA EFTA States to 15 EU Member States for the 2021–2028 period. They agreed that the programmes should give momentum to the new political agenda on unleashing competitiveness and increasing resilience. The need to ensure alignment and complementarities with the EU structural funds was therefore emphasised.

Background

The EEA JPC is a joint forum composed of members of the national parliaments of the EEA EFTA States and Members of the European Parliament. Its mandate is to contribute – through dialogue and debate – to a better understanding between the EU and the EEA EFTA States in the fields covered by the EEA Agreement.

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