Who is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA)?
The EEA includes the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) – Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom – as well as the three EEA/EFTA States, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway. Switzerland is the only EFTA State not participating in the EEA.

What is the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA Agreement)?
The EEA Agreement extends the Single Market of the European Union (EU) to include three of the four EFTA States, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway (Switzerland does not participate in the EEA).

Does EEA enlargement take place in parallel with EU enlargement?
Yes. In order to preserve the homogeneity of the Single Market, each country wanting to join the EU must also join the EEA (article 128 of the EEA Agreement).

Since when has the EEA Agreement been in force?
The EEA Agreement entered into force on 1 January 1994. It has applied to Liechtenstein since 1 May 1995.

Do EEA citizens have to be treated the same as EU citizens?
Yes. According to article 4 of the EEA Agreement, any discrimination on grounds of nationality is prohibited. This means that Liechtenstein citizens (natural persons) enjoy the same rights as EU citizens. With regard to companies (legal persons), it follows that companies established in Liechtenstein must be treated equally to companies established in the EU.

How many EU legal acts apply in Liechtenstein pursuant to the EEA Agreement?
In 2009, a total of 283 EU legal acts were incorporated into the EEA Agreement (source: 49th Annual Report of the European Free Trade Association 2009, S. 14 ). The total number of EU legal acts incorporated into the EEA Agreement was 5,611 by the end of 2009. In comparison, the EEA Agreement consisted of approximately 1,500 EU legal acts in 1992.

Who in Liechtenstein is responsible for the EEA?
The EEA Coordination Unit was established within the Liechtenstein National Administration to deal exclusively with questions of EEA law.

Where can I find concise information about the EEA?
The EEA Fact Sheet (PDF, 1.71 MB) provides basic information on the EEA. The quarterly publication by the EEA Coordination Unit entitled "SEWR-News" provides an overview of current developments in the EU/EEA area.

Responsibility for content lies with the EEA Coordination Unit .