60Th Annual Report of the European Free Trade Association 2020
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60th Annual Report of the European Free Trade Association 2020 Table of Contents Foreword 3 Annual Report About EFTA 4 of the European Free Trade Association The EFTA Council 5 2020 Free Trade Relations 10 Managing Editor: Thorfinnur Omarsson The EEA Agreement 17 Editor: Nicola Abbott Remøy EEA and Norway Grants 43 Statistics compiled by Lars Svennebye, Joël Henri Brunner and Aslak Berg Advisory Bodies 47 Concept and Design by WABZ Information Activities 51 Published May 2021 The Secretariat 59 EFTA in Figures 62 Photo credits: Appendices 76 EFTA photos in this report can be found on: https://photos.efta.int/2020 https://www.facebook.com/EFTASecretariat Editor’s note: For more information on EFTA’s activities and institutional framework, please see our website: www.efta.int Subscription: The 2020 Annual Report is available in electronic form only. To access it via the EFTA website, please visit www.efta.int/publications/annual-report 2 Annual Report 2020 EFTA Foreword By all standards, 2020 was a year unlike any other events in such a hybrid format, by mixing in-house we have experienced. Just by looking at the picture events with audio-visual channels. gallery in this Annual Report, we can see the explicit difference in the way EFTA and its partners operated The EEA Agreement proved, once again, to be before the COVID outbreak and during the pandemic. a robust and adaptable instrument. On several occasions, the EEA Joint Committee adopted COVID- But even though we had to transform our related decisions on extremely short notice – such working habits – almost overnight – from the as on official controls and state aid – allowing the traditional methods to videoconferences and EEA EFTA States to align measures with the EU virtual meetings, it was quite remarkable how our and maintain a functioning Internal Market also in institutional framework still worked and remained times of crisis. This was extremely important for our fully operational. Whether it was expanding and societies and economies. Further highlights in the WTO, who is deemed capable of building bridges and developing EFTA’s worldwide free trade network EEA cooperation included important debates on the addressing urgent issues currently at stake in the or managing the continuous update of the EEA transformation of our economies – more precisely multilateral trading system. Agreement, all the governing bodies in the EFTA on the European Green Deal and on Europe’s digital structure managed to deliver on their duties for future – within the framework of the EEA Council. The search for a fresh consensus on free trade the benefit of the EFTA Member States. I am both will change the way we do business. There will be proud and thankful to all those who contributed In 2020, the EFTA Secretariat also dedicated a new focus on monitoring and implementing our to such a smooth changeover in unprecedented considerable efforts to prepare the EEA EFTA States agreements, a strong focus on sustainability, more circumstances. for the UK’s departure from the EU and the EEA, as proactivity in negotiating processes with technical well as to assist the ongoing EEA EFTA–UK free trade th assistance, more participation and teaming up with In this historic year 2020, EFTA celebrated its 60 negotiations. our advisory bodies, and more transparency towards anniversary. Considering the conditions, initial our civil society and the general public. I believe We also prepared for the move of the Brussels staff planned events had to be adapted to new realities that EFTA has, and continues to be, instrumental in to a new office building, which will be shared with two and formats. This did, however, not stop us from anticipating these developments and shaping new sister organisations working on the EEA Agreement: celebrating how important EFTA has been to its policies to address them. members throughout the last six decades. This is well the EFTA Surveillance Authority and the Financial displayed in video addresses from ministers, where Mechanism Office. The new building has been named The global pandemic is imposing a heavy toll on world they underline how EFTA has boosted international EFTA House and will create great opportunities for trade. However, now that we can see light at the end trade and facilitated economic prosperity for citizens promotion of EFTA, its Member States, and the EEA. of the tunnel, EFTA will build on what it has done best and businesses. These video statements can be over the last 60 years and be ready to contribute to a COVID-related restrictions aside, the world trading found in this report. swift economic recovery. system remains in crisis mode and issues of the past Despite a somewhat more limited format of years remain unaddressed. Yet, there are signals for celebrations, we managed to reach out to a larger hope, with the US elections and a new administration Henri Gétaz audience through our EFTA Channel, allowing dedicated to values and ways of approaching Secretary-General stakeholders to watch debates from different parts international relations with which we at EFTA are of the world. Post-COVID, we will certainly hold future more comfortable. There is also a new head of the 3 Back to contents page Annual Report 2020 EFTA About 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 cooperation between its members, within Europe and globally. The Association has responsibility for the management of: > The EFTA Convention, which regulates economic relations between the four EFTA States > The Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA Agreement), which brings together the Member States of the European Union (EU) and three of the EFTA States – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – in a single market, EFTA Ministers, clockwise from top left: Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson (Iceland); Katrin Eggenberger (Liechtenstein); also referred to as the Internal Market Guy Parmelin (Switzerland); Iselin Nybø (Norway), . > EFTA’s worldwide network of free trade and partnership agreements 4 Back to contents page Annual Report 2020 EFTA The EFTA Council EFTA Council meeting in Geneva in February 2020. The EFTA Council is the highest governing From left: Désirée Von Hohenlohe, body of EFTA. The Council usually meets EFTA Secretary-General’s Officer, Henri Gétaz, EFTA Secretary- eight times a year at the ambassadorial General, Pascal Schafhauser, level (heads of permanent missions Deputy Secretary-General and Secretary-General’s Office to EFTA in Geneva) and at least once Director, Didier Chambovey. a year at ministerial level. The Council discusses substantive matters, especially relating to the development of EFTA relations with third countries and the management of free trade agreements. The Council also manages relations between the EFTA States under the EFTA Convention, monitors EFTA relations with the EU and decides upon important administrative matters. The Council has a broad mandate to consider possible policies to promote the overall objectives of the Association and to facilitate the development of links with other states, unions of states or international organisations. Each Member State is represented, and decisions are taken by consensus. Delegates at the EFTA Council in November 2020. Top row: Andri Lúthersson, Deputy Secretary-General, Peter Matt, Ambassador of Liechtenstein, Harald Aspelund, Ambassador of Iceland. Mid row: Hege Marie Hoff, Deputy Secretary-General, Henri Gétaz, Secretary-General, Didier Chambovey, Ambassador of Switzerland and Council Chair. Lower row: Pascal Schafhauser, Deputy Secretary-Genral, Krisztina Bende, Director of Trade Division, Dagfinn Sørli, Ambassador of Norway. 5 Back to contents page Annual Report 2020 EFTA November 2020 2 Annexes willingness and ability to adapt trade agreements to new economic needs and changing technology. 1 EFTA Ministerial Meeting TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Transparency in trade negotiations was another EFTA’S EXPERIENCE AND OUTLOOK important topic during this year’s Ministerial meeting, The meeting of the EFTA Council at ministerial level Introduction I. and a series of new initiatives were adopted to nomic growth can in 2020 was held through videoconference on 27 In the EFTA States, openness to trade and access to international markets is the basis 1. October. Switzerland chaired the Council for an enhance the information for the general public, and for economic growth and general welfare. At the same time, the EFTA States apply and actively promote high standards for sustainable development and inclusiveness relevant international not only2 which domestically, bodies, states most that originally foreseen period of 6 months which was to foster cooperation with the EFTA Parliamentary but also in their respective foreign policies. In fact, free trade and eco contribute to the achievement of their sustainability policies. This experience of the EFTA Committee and the EFTA Consultative Committee. States is widely shared internationally and the importance of trade as a means to promote prolonged until the end of 2020. sustainable development has been explicitly recognized in recently in the United Nations’ 2030 inableAgenda development”. for Sustainable Development Regarding third-country negotiations, there was a “international trade is an engine for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction and During the meeting, EFTA Ministers discussed EFTA contributes to the promotion