ESA College holds annual meeting with Icelandic Government

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) College visited Reykjavik for meetings with the Icelandic Government, including Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir, to take stock on issues relating to the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement.

ESA President Arne Røksund and Vice-President Árni Páll Árnason and Stefan Barriga led the ESA delegation that met Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir to discuss challenges and opportunities linked to the implementation of the EEA Agreement. It was the first time the two sides have met since Frostadóttir’s government took up office in December.

ESA’s leadership also met with other ministers that have the EEA as an important aspect of their portfolios: Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate; Daði Már Kristófersson, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs; Eyjólfur Ármannsson, Minister of Infrastructure, and; Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, Minister of Industries.

During the meetings, a range of EEA-related aspects were discussed, including the timely implementation of EEA acts, competition, energy, financial services, food safety, State aid and transport issues.

ESA’s College underlined the overall good relations with the Icelandic authorities and progress made in incorporating EEA rules into domestic law. A key issue raised by ESA was the need for improved communication and earlier dialogue. This is crucial to avoid the unnecessary opening of formal infringement cases, and to ensure the best use of critical resources on both sides.

‘We appreciate the strong commitment to the EEA Agreement expressed by the new Government. We have been able to discuss some sticking points and look forward to untangling these as we move forward,’ said Røksund.

The high-level meeting took place in parallel to the annual Package Meeting, during which ESA and the Icelandic authorities meet at expert level for solution-focused discussions of ongoing cases and investigations.

For the first time during the annual Package Meeting, ESA’s leadership also met with representatives of Iceland’s social partners, the Iceland Confederation of Labour (Alþýðusamband Íslands) and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (Samtök Atvinnulífsins). In addition, a meeting was held with Kristín Benediktsdóttir, the Althingi Ombudsman, to discuss closer cooperation, especially on overlapping EEA-related issues.

On Thursday 8 May, an ESA Day was held at the Althingi. The event attracted a range of people representing the public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations and academia who wanted to learn more about ESA’s work and engage in discussion about the EEA Agreement.

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