The EEA Agreement extends the European Community internal market to the European Free Trade Area countries. This book gives lawyers and business people an in-depth but non-technical guide to the new EEA rules governing the free movement of goods, including product coverage and rules of origin, technical barriers to trade, intellectual property, product liability, public procurement, competition, and state aids.

This book examines Europeanization in the European Economic Area (EEA), exploring whether non-member states can have an input into EU decision-making and whether the EU can successfully export its policies within the framework of the EEA. Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, while not EU member states, are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and signatories of the EEA Agreement. The Agreement allows participation in the EU’s internal market but also requires extensive and continuous adaptation to EU rules. Whilst existing literature is limited mainly to the EU’s impact on its own member states or neighbours to the east, this book extends the study of Europeanization to the EEA, exploring whether Iceland, as a non-member state, can have an input into EU decision-making and, conversely, whether the EU can ensure that its policies are adhered to outside of its borders. The author argues that, although the EEA Agreement is not without its challenges, it has proved considerably more resilient than originally expected. This raises the question of whether the EEA provides a realistic alternative to EU membership for other states with close ties to the EU. Delving into the largely unknown intersection between the EU and the EEA and providing important new insights into the Europeanization process, Europeanization and the European Economic Area will be of strong interest to students and scholars of European Union politics and policy-making, European Union Enlargement, Nordic politics and comparative politics.

The provisions of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) determine the relations of the EFTA countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein with the EU and its Member States. On its basis, these three countries participate extensively in the internal market. The EEA is also discussed as a possible model for relations between the EU and the United Kingdom after Brexit. The new commentary, article by article, explores the importance of the legal practice agreement. It incorporates the extensive annexes and protocols to the agreement, which unlocks key secondary EEA law and establishes links with EU law. The current state of EEA law in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein is summarized by legislation and case law. The focus of the presentations lies in the commentary of the EEA regulations on the free movement of goods, the movement of persons, services and capital, transport policy and competition law. The tasks and procedures of the two EEA bodies European Surveillance Authority and EFTA Court, which are used for monitoring and dispute resolution, are explained by commenting on the EEA Regulations and the supplementary agreement concluded between Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The work offers - A comprehensive overview of the special situation in Switzerland - Cross-sectional views on the effects of EEA law in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein and on the effects of EEA law in the EU - Important references to the international agreements accompanying the EEA - A comprehensive analysis of the changed legal environment, including the Treaty of Lisbon and other European Treaties. In addition, the commentary provides information on the current state of EEA law in the light of the case law of the EFTA Court and the legislation and case law of the three countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. For ease of use, the otherwise not easily accessible annexes and protocols, where relevant, and the supplementary agreements are printed.

This publication reproduces the text of the Agreement on the European Economic Area as signed in Oporto on 2 May 1992.