The European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and the North
EU Fact Sheets
01-09-2017
The European Economic Area (EEA) was set up in 1994 to extend the EU’s provisions on its internal market to the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) countries. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are parties to the EEA. Switzerland is a member of EFTA but does not take part in the EEA. The EU and EEA partners (Norway and Iceland) are also linked by various ‘northern policies’ and forums which focus on the rapidly evolving northern reaches of Europe and the Arctic region as a whole.
EU Fact Sheets
About this document
Publication type
Policy area
Keyword
- accession to the European Union
- application of EU law
- economic geography
- EEA joint institution
- EFTA
- enlargement of an international organisation
- Europe
- European construction
- European Economic Area
- European organisations
- EUROPEAN UNION
- European Union law
- GEOGRAPHY
- Iceland
- international affairs
- INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
- INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- Norway
- political geography
- single market
- Switzerland