Highlights
About EFTA
Learn more about the European Free Trade Association, including its history, Member States, annual budget, media resources, current job opportunities and staff contact details.
What is EFTA?
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is the intergovernmental organisation of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration between its members, within Europe and globally.
European Free Trade Association
Iceland
Capital: Reykjavik
Language: Icelandic
Currency: Icelandic króna (ISK)
Government website
Liechtenstein
Capital: Vaduz
Language: German
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Goverment website
Norway
Capital: Oslo
Language: Norwegian, Sami
Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)
Government website
Switzerland
Capital: Bern
Language: German, French, Italian, Romansh
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Government website
Offices
In this section you will find information about the day-to-day management of the Secretariat, our organisational chart and annual budget.
EEA and Relations with the EU
The EEA Agreement unites the EU Member States and the EEA EFTA States in an Internal Market governed by the same basic rules relating to the free movement of goods, services, capital and persons, as well as certain horizontal and flanking policies.
EFTA’s web-based legal database, EEA-Lex, is an important tool for monitoring proposed EU legal acts with possible EEA relevance, adopted EU acts under consideration for incorporation into the EEA Agreement, and acts that have already been incorporated into the Agreement.
EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union
The EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union is a weekly legal gazette containing Icelandic and Norwegian translations of EEA-relevant texts, including merger notifications requiring quick publication. Separate issues of the Supplement contain translations of EEA Joint Committee Decisions and EU legal acts that have been incorporated into the EEA Agreement
Trade Relations
EFTA has an extensive worldwide network of free trade relations. Its third-country policy aims to safeguard the economic interests of its Member States, support and reinforce European and interregional integration, and contribute to global efforts to liberalise trade and investment.
The EFTA States enjoy access to one of the world’s largest networks of preferential trade relations, which continues to expand thanks to an ambitious agenda of negotiations. EFTA has also signed joint declarations on cooperation with a number of countries to improve cooperation and as a possible first step towards free trade negotiations.
Africa - Middle East (12)
Americas (9)
Asia - Pacific (13)
Europe (16)
The EFTA States jointly negotiate free trade agreements with partners outside the European Union to strengthen their competitive position and increase market access for their products. As a result, economic operators in the EFTA States enjoy access to one of the world’s largest networks of preferential trade relations, which continues to expand thanks to an ambitious agenda of negotiations.
Statistical Cooperation
Statistics play a fundamental role in planning, developing and monitoring the economic, social and environmental aspects of the European Single Market. The EFTA Statistical Office (ESO) is the liaison office between the EFTA National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) and Eurostat – the statistical office of the European Union. Cooperation between the EFTA NSIs, Eurostat and ESO, particularly in the context of the EEA Agreement, and technical cooperation with partner countries outside the European Statistical System remain the two main areas of ESO’s activities.
European Statistical Cooperation
Statistical Cooperation by Map
Careers
EFTA Toolbox
How EU Law becomes EEA Law
An interactive web tool on How EU Law Becomes EEA Law provides a visual presentation of the legislative process behind the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
EFTA SharePoint
The EFTA Secretariat's SharePoint platform serves as a secure access hub for distributing information and documents to ministries, parliamentarians, members of the Consultative Committee and other integral stakeholders within the EFTA family.