(2004/C 78 E/0756)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1237/03

by Diana Wallis (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 March 2003)

Subject:   EEA Agreement on enlargement of the EU

Will the Commission confirm the timetable for consultation with the European Parliament in respect of the conclusion and ratification of the EEA Agreement with the acceding States on enlargement of the European Union?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(25 April 2003)

As a consequence of the Union enlargement, the agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA), which extends the internal market to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, must also be enlarged. This has to be negotiated with these three EEA European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries. As the EEA Agreement is a mixed agreement, the Commission has obtained a mandate, adopted by the 9 December 2002 General Affairs Council, to negotiate on behalf of the Community and the current Member States. The negotiations were launched on 9 January 2003.

Much progress has been achieved in the very difficult negotiations over recent weeks, and a set of extremely finely balanced elements for an agreement is now there, which the Commission believes will enable to conclude rapidly the negociations. The Commission has had several exchanges of views with the Parliament on the subject of these negotiations.

The Commission hopes to conclude the negotiations with the EEA EFTA countries and the Acceding Countries on the enlargement of the EEA Agreement in the near future. Once the negotiations are concluded, the draft EEA enlargement instrument will be transmitted to the Parliament. As for the timetable, it is expected that the EEA enlargement instrument will be ratified in parallel to the Treaty of Accession to the European Union. As for the involvement of the Parliament it shall give its assent in accordance with Article 300 (3) second subparagraph of the EC Treaty, since the EEA Agreement belongs to the category of agreements concluded by the Community in accordance with Article 310 of the Treaty.