The European Economic Area (EEA) provides for the free
movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the internal market of
the European Union (EU) between its 28 member states, as well as three of the
four member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA): Iceland,
Liechtenstein and Norway.[4] The Agreement is applied provisionally with
respect to Croatia—the remaining and most recent EU member state—pending
ratification of its accession by all EEA parties.[2][5]
The EEA was established on 1 January 1994 upon entry into
force of an agreement between the member states and the EU's predecessors, the
European Economic Community and the European Coal and Steel Community.[4] EFTA
states which join the EEA participate in the EU's internal market without being
EU members, adopting almost all the relevant EU legislation other than laws
regarding agriculture and fisheries. The EEA's "decision-shaping"
processes enable them to influence and contribute to new EEA policy and legislation
from an early stage.[6]
One EFTA member, Switzerland, has not joined the EEA, but
has a series of bilateral agreements with the EU which allow it also to
participate in the internal market.
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