European Economic Area

Multilateral in force

INTRODUCTION

The Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) was signed in 1992 by the Member States of the European Union and the four Member States of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA)—Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Norway— to integrate the EFTA states into the European Single Market. The agreement came into force on 1 January 1994 for the EU Member States, as well as for Iceland and Norway. Liechtenstein followed suit on 1 January 1995. However, Switzerland did not ratify the agreement after it was rejected in a national referendum and, as a result, remained outside the European Economic Area. All states that have since joined the European Union have signed and ratified the Agreement, thereby also becoming part of the European Economic Area. The agreement currently applies provisionally to Croatia.

The EEA free movement regime is particularly significant for citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway who wish to reside in another EEA Member State, and conversely, for citizens of any EEA Member State seeking residence in Iceland, Liechtenstein, or Norway. For movement between EEA Member States that are also part of the European Union, the EU free movement regime takes precedence. Notably, although citizens of Liechtenstein can take up residence in other EEA states under the EEA regime, Liechtenstein retains the right to impose restrictions on movement into its own territory under the EEA treaty.

The provisions on the free movement of persons in the EEA Agreement (Articles 28-35) closely mirror those in the Treaty on the European Union. In principle, EU law instruments governing the free movement of persons have—aside from a few minor exceptions—been extended to the EEA Agreement (see Annex V). Consequently, beneficiaries can reside in other Member States as workers, self-employed individuals, or non-economically active persons. Additionally, provisions regarding family reunification and permanent residence apply within the EEA regime. A key distinction, however, is that the EEA regime does not confer voting rights in local elections.

MEMBER STATES

AUSTRIA (1994)
BELGIUM (1994)
BULGARIA (2011)
CROATIA (Provisionally applied since 2014)
CYPRUS (2005)
CZECH REPUBLIC (2005)
DENMARK (1994)
ESTONIA (2005)
EUROPEAN UNION (1994)
FINLAND (1994)
FRANCE (1994)
GERMANY (1994)
GREECE (1994)
HUNGARY (2005)
ICELAND (1994)
IRELAND (1994)
ITALY (1994)
LATVIA (2005)
LIECHTENSTEIN (1995)
LITHUANIA (2005)
LUXEMBOURG (1994)
MALTA (2005)
NETHERLANDS (1994)
NORWAY (1994)
POLAND (2005)
PORTUGAL (1994)
ROMANIA (2011)
SLOVAKIA (2005)
SLOVENIA (2005)
SPAIN (1994)
SWEDEN (1994)
UNITED KINGDOM (1994-2020)

TIMELINE

1992	The Agreement on the European Economic Area (or EEA) is signed on 2 May 1992 by the Member States of the European Union and the four Member States of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA) (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Norway).
1994	The EEA Agreement came into effect on 1 January for all signatory states, excluding Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
1995	The EEA Agreement entered into force on 1 January for Liechtenstein.
2005	The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Malta and Cyprus joined the European Economic Area on 6 December.
2011	Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Economic Area on 9 November.
2014	The EEA agreement is applied provisionally to Croatia from 12 April.

KEY LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Agreement on the European Economic Area of 2 May 1992 (in force 1 January 1994) (original version) (consolidated version).

Annex V of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (consolidated version).