What is the EEA?

The European Economic Area (EEA) brings EU member states and members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA—Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) together in the same single market. The EEA has many similarities to EU membership, but EFTA members do not have voting or representation rights, they do not follow EU rules on agriculture and fisheries, and they are not part of the EU’s customs union. Nevertheless, they still have to make financial contributions to the EU and the rulings of the European Court of Justice are generally followed by the EFTA court, which oversees EFTA members’ implementation and application of the EEA agreement.