ESA issues 2021 Annual Report

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) has today released its 2021 Annual Report. The report offers a comprehensive overview of ESA’s work and finances, and highlights its priorities over the past year. 

ESA’s work in 2021 was characterised by COVID-19 crisis management, an increased focus on environmental work, and closer cooperation with EU agencies, for instance with regard to the continuation of transport, food safety and animal welfare monitoring.

2021 was another year marked by the pandemic, with ESA prioritising crisis-related decisions to support the EEA EFTA States – Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway – in safeguarding their economies. 

While most substantive work continued to be tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, ESA continued to conduct audits and inspections online and offline in the fields of food safety, animal welfare and transport safety. ESA also stepped up its focus on the green transition and on its ongoing collaboration with European Union agencies.

In the course of 2021 ESA also moved from its old offices into the new EFTA House, shared with the EFTA Secretariat and the Financial Mechanism Office, with the roll-out of vaccines allowing staff to gradually come in to work in their new offices. Despite the challenging circumstances of the past year, ESA’s staff ensured that the organisation could continue to serve the citizens, businesses and institutions of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

ESA’s 2021 annual report can be found here.