List Of European Economic Area (EEA) Countries In 2024

Filed in Article by on October 23, 2023 0 Comments

The European Economic Area (EEA) consists is an area or areas of trade and movement of members of the European Union and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) with Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein inclusive.

The European Economic Area was created in 1994, merging the countries in the European Union (EU) and countries belonging to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) with the aim of ensuring that members take part in the European Market trade and movement without necessarily having to apply to be part of the European Union member countries.

The EEA Agreement which was established in 1992 is an international agreement that enables the expansion of the European Union’s single market to non-EU members. When the EEA Agreement was signed on May 2, 1992, twenty of the thirty current members signed on that day.

Benefits Enjoyed By Member Countries

Information obtained from the EFTA website quotes, “The free movement of persons is one of the core rights guaranteed in the European Economic Area (EEA). It is perhaps the most important right for individuals, as it gives citizens of the 31 EEA countries the opportunity to live, work, establish a business, and study in any of these countries.”

Thus, natives of any of the member countries receive the liberty of traveling to other member countries for short-term, and long-term goals or to settle but still retain their citizenship as members of their native countries.

Additionally, member states of the European Union or European Free Trade Association can take part or sign in as members of the EEA, according to the EEA agreement and they are provided rights to trade goods, and services whatsoever.

The EEA is governed by two regulators, the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority, and two courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Court of Justice of the European Free Trade Association.

How Many Countries Are In The EEA?

There are currently twenty-seven countries in the European Economic Area and they include;

  • Austria
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Romania
  • Croatia
  • United Kingdom
  • Cyprus

The list is not restricted, countries can still take part in the community, and it fosters peace and alliance among nations.

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