EFTA

FTA COLOMBIA - EFTA

The Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Colombia and the EFTA States (EFTA), was signed on 25 November 2008 and was approved by Law 1372 of January 7, 2010.

Switzerland ratified the treaty on October 29 and Liechtenstein on 26 November 2009. In the case Norway and Iceland, the Agreement entered into force on 1 September 2014 and 1 October 2014 respectively.

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organisation set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four Member States. (EFTA, 2016).

• Founded in 1960
• Promote a better economy between the Western European Countries
• The EFTA countries wished to contribute to the expansion of trade globally

Real Benefits from Economic Treaties

Technical Cooperation

EEA

CANADA- EFTA FLOW OF GOODS

EFTA has actively negotiated declarations on cooperation and free trade agreements with countries from Central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean Basin. This network has since been extended to the rest of the world. EFTA therefore has an extensive free trade network, and many of our partner countries are developing countries or countries in transition. In order to facilitate the implementation of the free trade agreements, or to prepare for closer economic integration or upcoming negotiations, EFTA provides technical cooperation.

Interesting issue...

Products traded- Countries NORWAY ICELAND SWITZERLAND LIECHETSTEIN

Exported – Primary Sector Crude petroleum Raw Aluminium Gold

Exported- Secondary Sector Processed Fish Vailed Medicine

Imported- Primary Sector Óxido de Aluminio Gold

Imported- Secondary sector Cars Refined petroleum Cars

The EEA Agreement does not cover the following EU policies:

• Common Agriculture and Fisheries Policies (although the Agreement contains provisions on various aspects of trade in agricultural and fish products);
• Customs Union;
• Common Trade Policy;
• Common Foreign and Security Policy;
• Justice and Home Affairs (even though the EFTA countries are part of the Schengen area); or
• Monetary Union (EMU).

Switzerland is not part of the EEA Agreement, but has a bilateral agreement with the EU. You can read more about this agreement on the European Commission website, and on the Swiss Federal Administration website.

The European Economic Area (EEA) unites the EU Member States and the three EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway) into an Internal Market governed by the same basic rules. These rules aim to enable goods, services, capital, and persons to move freely about the EEA in an open and competitive environment, a concept referred to as the four freedoms.

Countries (EFTA) AGRICULTURE FOSSIL FUELS MARITIME

products Metals Automobile Industry Technology Machinery Medical instruments and Supplies

ICELAND FISH AND CRUSTACEANS IRON AND STEEL

SWITZERLAND ALUMINIUM AND ARTICLES THEREOF FARMACEUTICAL

PRODUCTS

LIECHTESTEIN

NORWAY MINERAL FUELS AND OILS NICKEL AND ARTICLES THEREOF

MEMBERS

• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
• Switzerland

The EFTA states signed the free trade agreement with Colombia in Gneva, on 25 of November of 2008

Cooperation Programmes and Technical Assistance

• Activities related to EFTA’s free trade agreements and declarations on cooperation financed exclusively by EFTA Member States; and
• EFTA’s participation in EU projects and programmes in the areas of statistics and quality infrastructure.

The Agreement covers cooperation in other important areas such as research and development, education, social policy, the environment, consumer protection, tourism and culture, collectively known as “flanking and horizontal” policies.

EFTA

Ángeles Dávila, Daniela Rincón, Julian Gómez, Felipe Arjona, Felipe Rengifo