EFTA Council meets for first time in 2025

First on the agenda was a briefing by the EFTA Secretariat on the signing of the free trade agreements with Kosovo and Thailand on 22 January and 23 January, respectively, on the margins of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Further on free trade relations, Member States discussed recent progress on negotiations with Malaysia, Mercosur, Singapore and Vietnam. 

The Secretariat noted that on 1 January 2025, Liechtenstein had taken over as Chair of the EFTA Standing Committee. The Chair’s priorities for the coming six months would include cross-sectoral EU initiatives and the facilitation of high-level dialogues to address geopolitical, geoeconomic and security challenges. Members were also briefed on recent political developments in the EU, notably the new presidency of Poland of the Council of the European Union and imminent release of the Commission’s work programme for 2025.

On horizontal issues, the Secretariat provided an overview on small and medium-sized enterprises, preference utilisation and EFTA’s work related to the EFTA–US Trade Policy Dialogue. 

Lastly, Member States exchanged views on recent policy developments, in particular the outcome of the Icelandic elections, Switzerland’s conclusion of negotiations with the European Union in late 2024, the upcoming general election in Liechtenstein and recent high-level meetings at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. 

The next EFTA Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 18 March 2025.