Die EFTA-Staaten und ihre (un-)komplizierten Beziehungen mit der Europäischen Union

• Published in: integration
• Main Author: Frommelt, Christian
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Nomos Verlag 2023
• Subjects: Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.5771/0720-5120-2023-2-162

On 1 January 1994 – almost 30 years ago – the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) entered into force. Its purpose is to create a homogeneous and dynamic economic area between the Member States of the European Union (EU) and the members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Today, the EEA Agreement is still the most far-reaching and institutionalised agreement between the EU and non-member states and can therefore be seen as a benchmark for a privileged partnership with the EU. This paper describes how the institutional rules of the EEA and the level of integration of the EEA/EFTA states have changed over time. It shows that developments towards both more integration and more differentiation can be observed in the EEA. It thus addresses various institutional challenges in the relationship between the EU and associated states.