The Committee of Parliamentarians, the Consultative Committee and the trade ministers of the member states of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are gathering in Reykjavik for their annual meeting. EFTA comprises Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Discussions will focus on the state of the ongoing free trade negotiations with third countries – including Vietnam – as well as EFTA’s priorities in view of current geopolitical developments. Further meetings within EFTA’s consultative bodies provide an opportunity to discuss economic policy issues of great interest to Switzerland. These include the development of transatlantic relations and their impact on international trade, the dialogue between EFTA and the European Union, and possible modernisation and expansion of cooperation with emerging economic and free trade blocs.
What are EFTA’s advisory bodies?
The EFTA Parliamentary Committee is a forum for parliamentarians from the four member states, while the EFTA Consultative Committee brings together representatives of the countries' trade unions and employers' organisations. These two advisory bodies are important platforms for dialogue and consultation on the social, economic and political aspects of free trade agreements and on EFTA’s strategic guidelines.
The Federal Assembly is represented on the EFTA Parliamentary Committee by the EFTA/EU delegation. The meeting in Reykjavik will be attended by the delegation’s vice president, National Council member Jon Pult (SP, GR), along with National Council members Elisabeth Schneider-Schneiter (The Centre, BL), Christine Badertscher (Greens, BE), Thomas Aeschi (SVP, ZG) and Hans-Peter Portmann (FDP, ZH).