BAKGRUNN (fra EFTA-sekretariatets pressemelding 25.11.2024)

EEA Council discusses competitiveness and the functioning of the EEA Agreement

On Monday 25 November, representatives from the EEA EFTA States and the European Union convened in EFTA House for the 59th meeting of the EEA Council, the highest cooperation body under the EEA Agreement. Key topics discussed were the functioning of the EEA Agreement and Europe’s competitiveness and resilience. 

The meeting was chaired by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and co-chaired by Péter Sztáray, State Secretary for Security Policy and Energy Security, representing the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU. 

During the meeting, the EEA EFTA States emphasised the important role of the EEA cooperation in strengthening Europe’s resilience when confronted with new geopolitical tensions and challenges. 

“Our EEA cooperation can and should contribute to enhancing our common economic security, where the EEA EFTA States aim to be close and reliable partners”, stated Minister and Chair Espen Barth Eide, speaking on behalf of the EEA EFTA States. 

In an increasingly challenging geopolitical context, Minister Barth Eide also stressed the importance of the close and values-based cooperation between the EEA EFTA States and the EU: 

“We know that our close cooperation – based on shared values – has been instrumental over the past decades and will remain so in the future.”

In the informal political dialogue that took place after the EEA Council meeting, members discussed the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, and the Arctic. 

Liechtenstein’s Foreign Minister, Dominique Hasler, and Iceland’s Ambassador and Head of Mission to the EU, Kristján Andri Stefánsson, attended the meeting from the EEA EFTA side. Maroš Šefčovič, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, and Matti Maasikas, Managing Director for Europe at the European External Action Service (EEAS), represented the EU at the meeting.

On the margins of the EEA Council, the EEA EFTA Ministers also used the opportunity to meet with the EFTA advisory bodies: the Parliamentary Committee and the Consultative Committee.

The EEA Council meets twice a year at ministerial level and provides the political direction for developing the EEA Agreement. The EEA EFTA States are represented by their Ministers of Foreign Affairs, while the EU is represented by the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as by representatives of the EEAS and the European Commission. The next EEA Council meeting will take place in spring 2025.