EFTA Council meets for the fifth time and for the first time under Switzerland’s Chairmanship in 2023

The EFTA Council met in Geneva on Wednesday 20 September. The Council welcomed Switzerland’s new Ambassador, Mr Erwin Bollinger and Norway’s new Deputy Representative, Mr Gustav Solvang.

The Chair presented Switzerland’s list of priorities for 2023 to 2024, which includes working towards the conclusion of negotiations with India, Kosovo, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also aims to finalise the legal review and resolve issues outstanding with Mercosur countries, taking into account concerns on deforestation and climate change. It also includes the modernisation of existing free trade agreements (FTAs) and several horizontal issues. See the full list of priorities here.

On relations with third countries, Member States discussed progress on processes with India, Mercosur, Singapore, Thailand, and Chile. Further high-level meetings are set to take place with India, and a next round of negotiations with Thailand will take place starting 6 November 2023 in Geneva.

On EU–EFTA relations, the Secretariat noted that Liechtenstein took over the Chair of the EFTA Standing Committee on 1 July. The Secretariat also briefed the Council on preparations for the 20 November EEA Council hosted at EFTA House and a separate event celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the EEA, to be held in spring 2024. The biannual EEA Seminar will take place on 28 September. The Council received a brief high-level update on recent developments in EU economic and trade policy.

The Secretariat provided a status overview of horizontal issues, including work on preference utilisation in FTAs, and presented the EFTA–Philippines trade webtool. The Secretariat also outlined the EFTA Mid-Year Report 2023, summarising the main activities and financial results of the first half of 2023.

The EFTA Council referred documents related to the EFTA Secretariat audit for the 2022 financial year to the EFTA Budget Committee for scrutiny. The Council also approved an operating grant agreement with the European Cooperation for Accreditation.

The next Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 14 November 2023.