The European Free Trade Association – 50 Years of Existence

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organization set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The Association is responsible for the management of: The EFTA Convention, which forms the legal basis of the organization and governs free trade relations between the EFTA States; EFTA’s worldwide network of free trade and partnership agreements; and The European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, which enables three of the four EFTA Member States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to participate in the EU’s Internal Market. The purpose of this paper is to present the evolution of EFTA, during the 50 years of existence, whose history, since it was established in 1960, is part of the political and economic history of Europe after the Second World War.