EFTA - European Free Trade Association

05/27/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/27/2026 08:40

EEA Council discusses competitiveness, green growth and EEA cooperation

On 27 May, Ministers from the EEA EFTA States and the EU gathered for the 62nd meeting of the EEA Council, the highest cooperation body under the EEA Agreement.

"For more than three decades, the EEA EFTA States have contributed constructively to the Internal Market through our participation in the EEA Agreement. The world has changed since the 1990s, yet our robust Agreement continues to deliver," said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide, who co-chaired the meeting on behalf of the EEA EFTA States.

"Today, the Internal Market fosters prosperity and creates opportunities for 450 million people across the 30 EEA States," said Barth Eide.

Competitiveness and green growth, as well as the functioning of the EEA Agreement, topped the agenda at the EEA Council.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Culture Sabine Monauni and Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State attended the meeting on behalf of Liechtenstein and Iceland, respectively. Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry of Cyprus Michael Damianos represented the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The European Commission was represented by Maroš Šefčovič, Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security and for Interinstitutional Relations and Transparency, and Emanuele Giaufret, Deputy Managing Director of Division Western Europe, attended on behalf of the European External Action Service (EEAS).

The EEA EFTA States also met with the Commission's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, for an informal political dialogue. In this closed session, members discussed Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, and Arctic matters.

The EEA Council meets twice a year at Ministerial level and provides the political direction for the EEA Agreement. The EEA EFTA States are represented by their Ministers of Foreign Affairs, while the EU is represented by the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, as well as representatives of the EEAS and the Commission. The next EEA Council meeting will take place in autumn 2026.

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Related Category
EEA Council meeting
Related Section
EEA

Contacts

Petur Gunnarsson

EEA Coordination Division
Head of EEA Policy Coordination
Petur.GUNNARSSON [at] efta.int
+32 499 92 44 51

Asdis Olafsdottir

Secretary-General's Office
Head of Information and Communication
asdis.olafsdottir [at] efta.int
+32 498 11 0541

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