EEA Joint Committee discusses EU Clean Industrial Deal and recent milestones in EEA and Norway Grants

On 8 May, the EEA Joint Committee met in the Berlaymont to adopt 29 Joint Committee Decisions, incorporating 45 legal acts into the EEA Agreement. The EU and the EEA EFTA States also discussed the Clean Industrial Deal and the state of play of the Financial Mechanisms under the EEA and Norway Grants.

The list of acts incorporated in the meeting contained several important acts in the field of statistics, transport and financial services, including a regulation on investment policies and operating conditions of European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs). The regulation aims to strengthen the role of ELTIFs in financing infrastructure, SMEs and other long-term projects, supporting sustainable economic growth across the EEA.

In the meeting, the European Commission presented its recently adopted Clean Industrial Deal (CID), which lays out a roadmap for aligning the EU's green transition with its efforts to strengthen industrial competitiveness. The briefing was followed by an exchange of views between the EU and the EEA EFTA States.

"By turning decarbonisation into a source of strength for European industries, Europe will be better equipped to meet its sustainability goals for 2030 and beyond," said Norwegian Ambassador to the EU, Anders H. Eide, on behalf of the EEA EFTA States.

The Ambassador went on to highlight the CID's significance for Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway:

"As leaders in renewable energy and producers of industrial goods with low embedded emissions, the EEA EFTA States are significant contributors to clean industrial value chains in Europe. We welcome proposals in the Clean Industrial Deal to unlock the full value of products with a minimal carbon footprint."

The Ambassador noted that many initiatives connected to the CID would affect the Internal Market, and that the EEA EFTA States were following developments closely.

Managing Director at the Financial Mechanism Office, Ragna Fidjestøl, briefed the Committee on the EEA and Norway Financial Mechanisms for 2021 to 2028, which were signed in September last year.

Fidjestøl highlighted several milestones reached since the start of the implementation of the Financial Mechanisms, including the adoption of the "Blue Book" for 2021 ̶ 2028, which outlines the programme areas and funds eligible for support, and the launch of the new ﷟EEA Civil Society Fund. Two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with Poland in April 2025, while negotiations on MoUs with all other beneficiary states are advancing well.

EU Chair Nicolas von Lingen from the Secretariat-General of the European Commission presided over the meeting, while Norway's Ambassador Anders H. Eide co-chaired on behalf of the EEA EFTA States.

The next EEA Joint Committee meeting will take place on 13 June 2025.

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