Learn more about the European Free Trade Association, including its history, Member States, annual budget, media resources, current job opportunities and staff contact details.
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.
Capital: Reykjavik
Language: Icelandic
Currency: Icelandic króna (ISK)
Government website
Capital: Vaduz
Language: German
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Goverment website
Capital: Oslo
Language: Norwegian, Sami
Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK)
Government website
Capital: Bern
Language: German, French, Italian, Romansh
Currency: Swiss franc (CHF)
Government website
In this section you will find information about the day-to-day management of the Secretariat, our organisational chart and annual budget.
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.
Free Movement of Goods Free Movement of Services Free Movement of Capital Free Movement of Persons Horizontal Policies Competition / State AidEFTA’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.
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
supplement 04 January 2024
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.
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.
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.
The National Statistical Institutes (NSIs) collect data using surveys, censuses, administrative as well as privately held sources.
EFTA and the European Statistical System ESO, as a liaison office, supports the EFTA NSIs in their cooperation with Eurostat.Eurostat disseminates European statistics on the EU and EFTA States through various channels, including online databases, publications, and visualisation tools.
Eurostat leads the harmonisation and production of European statistics using the statistical results from the EU and EFTA NSIs.
Policy makers, researchers, businesses, and citizensEuropean statistics provide information about the functioning and development of the EU single market, in which the EFTA States participate. Policy makers, researchers, businesses, and citizens use European statistics for decision-making, research and analysis, general information, and awareness.
