CATALONIA -- Is EFTA an alternative for Catalonia? - VilaWeb

Is EFTA an alternative for Catalonia? - VilaWeb

Is EFTA an alternative for Catalonia?

EFTA makes it possible to participate in the
European Economic Area without having to form part of the EU. We'll show
you just how it works.

 

The controversy flying over comments made by the president of the
European Commission with respect to whether independent Scotland and
Catalonia would form part of the EU has again awoken interest in EFTA,
the European Free Trade Association.
Despite the fact that the spokesperson for the Commission disavowed
Durão Barroso's statements, frustration with the EU's attitude was noted
in broad sectors of the Catalan populace while at the same time
interest grows in an association like EFTA.

What is EFTA?

The European Free Trade Association is an organization comprised of
Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It is an alternative to
the European Union, while at the same time maintaining ties with it.
Basically, it is a group of states that don't want to form part of the
EU but that, without doing so, form part of the same economic and social
space. Former members include Great Britain, Portugal, Austria,
Denmark, and Sweden.

What relationship does EFTA have with the European Union?
Three
of the four countries that make up EFTA are part of the European
Economic Area (EEA) and therefore form part of the internal or common
market, just like any other member state of the Union. The fourth,
Switzerland, preferred not to be a part of the EEA and instead to sign
individual agreements with the EU as necessary.

What is the European Economic Area?
The European
Economic Area is an agreement among the twenty-seven states of the EU
(all except Croatia) and three of the four states of the EFTA (all
except Switzerland) which allows those three states to participate in
the internal market of the European Union without being a member
thereof.

What does it mean to 'participate in the internal market'?
The
EFTA countries benefit from the four freedoms of the European Union as
if they were full members: the liberties of free movement of persons,
goods, services, and capital. Therefore, these countries function as if
they were part of the EU because they benefit from all its advantages.
On the other hand, they have to adopt most of the EU's laws, although
there is a small percentage that they don't have to adopt. From the
point of view of the EU budget, the EFTA countries do not receive EU
funds, but they also don't have to contribute like EU countries do.
EFTA, as such, does contribute to financing the common market.

Can citizens of the EFTA member states travel throughout Europe without restrictions?
Of
the four EFTA countries, three are part of the Schengen accords and
therefore can cross the EU's internal borders without problem. But it's
important to remember that there are twelve member states of the
European Union that are not members of the Schengen Area and therefore
maintain their borders both for EFTA members as well as for citizens of
other EU member states.

How is EFTA governed?
EFTA has a supervisory
authority and its own Court of Justice that are decision making bodies.
Its structure is much more agile than that of the EU.

Does EFTA have a Parliament or form part of the European Parliament?
Neither
one nor the other. And this is its chief deficiency, because in
practice it means that a member state of this alliance must adopt the
legal rulings decided by the European Parliament without forming part
thereof. The European Parliament does however have the obligation of
constantly consulting EFTA about the legislation that it is undertaking.

Could Catalonia be a member of EFTA?
Articles
56-60 of EFTA's constituent accords explain that to be a member, you
have to be a state and be accepted by the EFTA council. There is
therefore no obstacle to Catalonia becoming a member, besides political
will. On that point, it's important to remember that one of its leaders,
George Baur, who is the liaison between EFTA and the EU has already spoken with interest about Catalonia.

Could Spain block Catalonia's entry into EFTA?
No, because it's not a member. And in addition it also couldn't veto EFTA's current relationship with the EU.