EFTA was founded in 1960 as an alternative for countries that were unable to join the European Economic Community. It originally had seven members, and currently has four - Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, and Leichtenstein. It has offices in Brussels, Luxembourg, and Geneva, where we went to visit.
While visiting with an EFTA representative, we learned that one of the reasons behind EFTA's existence is to provide some independence and strength for those countries who do not want to join the European Union. Switzerland knows that it is in the middle of the European Union, but does not see necessity in joining. Membership in the EU requires extensive policital adaptation, or comformance with EU policy.
EFTA is small and based on what we learned, it could dissolve at any time. Yet it remains as a functioning organization and provides economic alliance between its member countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment