Knowra European Economic Area European Economic Area The European Economic Area extends much of the European Union’s single market to Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, which are not EU members. It links these countries to common rules for goods, services, capital, and people.
European Free Trade Association : An intergovernmental organization of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland that promotes free trade and economic integration. Its three non-EU members participate in the EEA through this organization.
European Single Market : An integrated economic area where goods, services, capital, and people can move under shared rules. The EEA extends much of this market beyond EU membership.
European Union : A political and economic union whose member states share institutions, laws, and policies across many fields. The EEA EFTA states access much of its market without joining the Union.
Norway and the European Union : Norway’s relationship with the European Union, based chiefly on EEA participation and additional agreements. Norway illustrates the market access and obligations attached to EEA membership.
EEA Joint Committee : The EEA body that decides how new EU internal-market legislation is incorporated into the EEA Agreement. It updates the agreement as EU single-market rules change.
Free movement of goods : The removal of barriers that allows goods to circulate across participating countries under common rules. EEA rules extend this single-market freedom to the three EFTA states.
European Union customs union : An area in which members apply common external tariffs and remove customs duties between themselves. EEA membership does not place Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway in the EU customs union.
Iceland and the European Union : Iceland’s relationship with the European Union, including its participation in the European Economic Area. Iceland applies EEA rules while remaining outside the EU.
EEA Joint Parliamentary Committee : A forum where members of the European Parliament and EFTA national parliaments discuss EEA matters. It provides parliamentary scrutiny and discussion across the EEA’s EU–EFTA divide.
Free movement of services : The right to provide and receive services across participating countries, subject to common rules. Service providers in EEA EFTA states gain access to the broader market.
Show all 22