A substantial part of the EEA Agreement concerns the free movement of goods. The main principle emanating from the Agreement is that products may be traded between all 30 EEA Member States without customs duties or hindrance from national regulations. However, this does not mean that all products can circulate freely regardless of any risks involved. Products must conform to requirements that protect legitimate interests, such as health, safety and the environment. These requirements are adopted by the EU, and subsequently incorporated into the EEA Agreement. In certain areas the EU product legislation is complemented by European harmonised standards. When there are no EU requirements, the Member States may maintain national regulations, provided that they fulfil certain strict criteria and respect the principle of mutual recognition.
Read more...
The Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy of the EU are not part of the EEA Agreement. Free movement of goods within the framework of the EEA Agreement does not apply to all products.
An important objective of the EEA Agreement is to ensure a fair and efficient market, which will benefit individuals as well as the society as a whole. Economic operators should compete on a level playing field, without unfair competition from cartels or companies that dominate the market.
The EEA Agreement provides for a free trade area covering all the EEA Member States. However, the Agreement does not extend the EU Customs Union to the EEA EFTA Member States.
The EEA Agreement provides for specific technical legislation in a number of product sectors. For more information about these sectors, please see the list to the right. The EEA Agreement also provides for several mechanisms across product sectors such as market surveillance, accreditation and notified bodies. The principle of mutual recognition applies in non-harmonised areas. For more information, see mechanisms across product sectors.
To circulate freely within the European Economic Area, products must conform to certain requirements laid down by the EEA Agreement aimed at protecting legitimate interests, such as health, safety and the environment.