Policy shaping in the EEA and the role of the Secretariat EEA Seminar Brussels, 9 - 10 June 2011 Lars E Nordgaard Director, EEA Coordination Division EFTA Secretariat
The EEA – a substantially improved free trade agreement Our trade with EU EU’s trade with us (% of all trade) (% of all ex-EU trade) Iceland 64 % Iceland 0.2 % Liechtenstein 75 % Liechtenstein 0.1 % Norway 75 % Norway 4.5 % … but it is also much more
European Economic Area - extending the EU Internal Market Four Freedoms Common Rules • Free movement of goods • State aid • Free movement of services • Competition • Free movement of capital Cooperation • Free movement of persons • EU programmes Horizontal policies • EU agencies • Environment • Social policy Cohesion • Consumer protection • EEA (and Norway) Grants • Statistics • Company law
The EEA does not cover: • EU Customs Union and Common Trade Policy • Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies • EU Regional Policy • Economic and Monetary Union • Justice and Home Affairs • Common Foreign, Security and Defence Policy
EEA - static and dynamic • Static in scope No additional areas foreseen to be included in the Agreement, but the veterinary area was substantially expanded in 1999 • Dynamic in character Updated continuously by adding new EU legislation in areas already covered by the Agreement
Extending EU law … 8300 EU acts incorporated into the EEA Agreement • 1849 at the signing (1992) • 5574 added by the EEA Joint Committee • 900 added by simplified procedures ~ 5 000 acts in force today in EEA ~ 15 000 acts in force today in EU
EU PRESIDENCY ICELAND EEA (TROIKA) LIECHTENSTEIN COUNCIL + EUROPEAN NORWAY COMMISSION EEA EFTA JOINT STANDING EUROPEAN COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMISSION + EUROPEAN The Two-Pillar EFTA EXTERNAL SURVEILLANCE ACTION SERVICE EEA Structure AUTHORITY EUROPEAN EFTA COURT COURT OF JUSTICE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY MPs OF THE PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE EFTA STATES EFTA EEA ECONOMIC CONSULTATIVE CONSULTATIVE AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE COMMITTEE COMMITTEE
Decision shaping Access varies as to who we are approaching European Commission: right to participate, but not to vote • EEA Art. 99 Expert groups / EFTA comments • EEA Art. 100 Comitology committees • EEA Art 101 Other (advisory) groups • EEA Art. 81 Programme committees • EEA decisions Agency boards European Parliament: no access, but open process EU Council: no access, but approach informally
Decision shaping Influence varies as to where we are in the process Commission EP and COM Adoption consults and Council proposes drafts new discuss legislation
The EEA EFTA Standard Sheet Four questions: • EEA relevant? • Technical adaptations needed? • Other adaptations? • Parliamentary procedures/constitutional requirements?
EFTA Secretariat ... • Identifies new acts • Initiate the decision-making process through the EFTA Standard Sheet • Drafts EEA EFTA Comments • Assists the working groups, subcommittees, Standing Committee, EEA Joint Committee, EEA Council and advisory bodies • Drafts the EEA Joint Committee Decisions (JCDs) • Translates JCDs into Icelandic and Norwegian • Publishes the EEA Supplement • Keeps the complete EEA Agreement updated
Example: Food information (labelling) Jan 2008 EC proposal on food information to consumers Oct 2008 Extensive EEA EFTA Comments issued Sent to the Commission, EP and Council Distributed during bilateral contacts with EU and stakeholders Mar 2009 Norway invited to the Council Working Group to present the EEA EFTA position Dec 2009 Norway invited to the EP Committee Rapporteur Jun 2011 Proposal is still being discussed on the EU side…
More Examples In EFTA Bulletin 1/2009 • REACH • Goods Package • Open Method of Coordination
EFTA Advisory Bodies: Committees of Members of Parliament • Scrutinise EFTA policies and EEA legislation • Raise awareness of important issues • Build a political consensus • Advocate for the EEA in the national parliaments • Facilitate political dialogue Meet with: EFTA Ministers and Social Partners Representatives from the EEA Council and EEA Joint Committee Members of the European Parliament
EFTA Advisory Bodies: Consultative Committee • Shapes and scrutinises EFTA and EEA policies • A platform for dialogue and consultation between EFTA social partners and the EFTA authorities • Raise awareness of important issues Meets with: EFTA Ministers and Ambassadors EFTA Parliamentarians EU social partners
EEA EFTA Forum of Elected Representatives of Local and Regional Authorities Informal body involving elected representatives • from local and regional authorities in EEA matters • Links with the EU Committee of the Regions • Raise awareness of issues of relevance for local and regional authorities Meets with: EU Committee of the Regions
EU budget 2010: EUR 141.5 billion External Adm. Competitive aid 5.5% 5.5% growth* 10.5% Citizenship* 0.5% Security & justice 1% Agriculture and fishery 42% Competitive regions** 35% *EEA EFTA adds EUR 265 million to the EU budget **EEA and Norway Grants provide EUR 350 million outside the EU budget to EU beneficiary countries
Challenges for the EEA • The EEA Agreement is almost 20 years old • The EU has developed considerably since the early 1990s – Four treaty reforms: from the EC to the EU – Enlargement from 12 to 27 Member States The Single Market is “completed” – – New policy areas: • Economic and monetary union • Justice and home affairs • Foreign, security and defence policy
New forms of EU governance and the EEA: Institutional aspects • Growing power of the European Parliament – The “missing link” in the EEA • New approaches, tasks and structures in the Commission – “Evidence based policy making”, agencies • New forms of interaction between Member States – European Council, the OMC, regulatory authorities, decentralised networks
New forms of EU governance and the EEA: Policy instruments and architecture • A more diverse range of policy instruments – Legislation & benchmarks, targets, guidelines, etc • Enhanced coherence through horizontal policies initiatives – Single Market less prominent and more integrated with other policy areas – Facilitated by successive treaty reforms – The core of the Europe 2020 strategy
Lisbon Treaty and the EEA • Focus on institutional reforms; substantial changes beyond the EEA – Lisbon Treaty as such will have limited impact on the EEA • Merger of the pillars – (Even more) difficult to assess EEA relevance and ensure participation in policy shaping • Presidency reforms and the EU’s new diplomatic corps (EEAS) – Uncertainty about EFTA’s interlocutors on the EU side • Parliamentary dimension – EP more important, and possibly also the national parliaments
Europe 2020 and the EEA • The EU’s overarching economic strategy for the next decade • Successor of 2000 Lisbon Strategy, but conceptually different – All EU economic policies & coordination of national economic policies – Partnership between EU institutions and Member States, led by the European Council 2020 both more and less relevant for the EEA EFTA States • – Internal Market an instrument of Europe 2020 – Budget and regional policy included, with consequences for programmes But many areas outside EEA, including trade, EMU and agriculture – • More important and more difficult for the EFTA side in the EEA
Thank you
Recommend
More recommend
