1. The twenty-fourth meeting of the EEA Council took place in Brussels on 21
November 2005 under the Presidency of Ms. Rita Kieber-Beck, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of Liechtenstein. The meeting was attended by Mr. Jonas Gahr
Støre, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, and by Mr. Geir H. Haarde,
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, from the EEA - EFTA side, as well as by
Mr. Douglas Alexander, Minister of State for Europe of the United Kingdom,
representing the EU Presidency, by Members of the Council of the European
Union and by a representative of the European Commission from the EU side.

2. The EEA Council noted that within the framework of the Political Dialogue the
Ministers discussed the fight against terrorism, the OSCE Reform Process and the
preparations for the Ministerial Meeting which will take place in Ljubljana on 4 -
5 December 2005, as well as the capacity building in Africa and the responsibility
for peace building and conflict resolution.

3. The EEA Council noted that the enlarged European Economic Area of 1 May
2004 has functioned well and welcomed that all the Contracting States had now
ratified the EEA Enlargement Agreement.

4. The Ministers appreciated the good progress made in the implementation of the
new EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. With
the Memoranda of Understanding concluded with the Beneficiary States, the
process has entered a new stage of project generation and the Financial
Mechanisms are now firmly in the implementation phase. The importance of
transparency and broad participation in this work was underlined. The EEA
Council welcomed the launching of the first calls for proposals in the Czech
Republic, Slovenia, Malta and Poland, which have made close to 200 million
euros available to potential applicants.

5. The EEA Council welcomed the applications of Bulgaria and Romania to
becoming Contracting Parties to the EEA Agreement and recalled that Article 128
of the EEA Agreement states that any European State becoming a member of the
European Community shall apply to become a Party to this Agreement. The
Parties concerned were therefore asked to prepare negotiations of the respective
Enlargement Agreements in conformity with this. The EEA Council underlined
the common objective of the simultaneous accession of new members to the
European Union and to the European Economic Area, in order to secure the
homogeneity and the good functioning of the European Economic Area. The EEA
Council also noted the opening of EU’s membership negotiations with Turkey and
Croatia.

6. The EEA Council encouraged all Contracting Parties to inform relevant actors on
the EEA Agreement, in order to facilitate a smooth functioning of the Agreement
and to safeguard the interests of economic operators throughout the European
Economic Area.

7. The EEA Council welcomed the renewed goals of the Lisbon Process and
expressed optimism that they would promote delivery of growth and implement
reforms.

8. Regarding the review of the overall work in EEA co-operation, the EEA Council
noted the Progress Report of the EEA Joint Committee. The Ministers welcomed
the continuation of well-functioning co-operation, and the speedy incorporation of
new legislation for the Internal Market into the EEA Agreement.

The EEA Council in particular:
• Welcomed the timely EEA - EFTA participation in EEA-relevant Agencies of the
European Union and looked forward to a decision by the EEA Joint Committee on EEA
– EFTA participation in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as soon as
possible.

• Recalled the aim of maintaining the good functioning of the Internal Market in the field
of civil aviation. In that context, the EEA Council noted the common interest of the EU
and the EEA - EFTA States to develop further the close ties in this field, in particular
the incorporation of common rules and principles governing the organisation of the
European airspace (Single European Sky) into the EEA Agreement. The EEA Council
also noted that the EU and the EEA - EFTA States continue to pursue close informal
contacts with respect to the Open Skies Policy of the European Union. Furthermore, the
EEA Council encouraged all Contracting Parties to prevent any possible restrictions to
the freedom to provide air services within the European Economic Area, such as
discriminatory charges or tax measures.

• Welcomed the progress made towards better regulation within the Internal Market.

• Welcomed the continued constructive dialogue in order to find a practical solution with
regard to the new safety and security system (pre-arrival / pre-departure declarations)
and thereby avoiding obstacles to the free movement of goods within the European
Economic Area.

• Acknowledged the EEA - EFTA stake in the efforts to establish a general framework for
services in the Internal Market.

• Welcomed the continued EEA - EFTA contributions in the decision-shaping process of
EEA-relevant legislation and programmes of the European Community through i.a.
participation in appropriate committees and working groups of the European
Community, and through EEA - EFTA Comments.

• Reaffirmed the importance of EEA - EFTA participation in EEA-relevant programmes
of the European Union. This participation is co-financed by the EEA - EFTA States and
contributes to the strengthening of the EEA co-operation outside the four freedoms of
the Internal Market, thereby promoting the common political and economic goals
attached to the EEA Agreement.

9. The EEA Council reaffirmed the shared aim of creating stable, peaceful and
prosperous relations with the neighbouring countries. The EEA Council
acknowledged that giving neighbourhood countries or third countries a stake in
the Internal Market would be mutually beneficial to all parties involved and of
relevance to the European Economic Area. The EEA Council welcomed the
continued exchange of information on further developments of the European
Neighbourhood Policy.

10. The EEA Council held an orientation debate on the status of the negotiations
leading up to the WTO Ministerial Conference which will take place in Hong
Kong on 13 - 18 December 2005.

11. The EEA Council underlined the need to finalise the outstanding issues to ensure
rapid implementation of the shrimp quota and transit of fish, which are included in
the EEA Enlargement Agreement.

12. The EEA Council recognised the desirability of inviting EEA - EFTA Ministers to
attend relevant informal EU Ministerial Meetings as well as Ministerial
Conferences on the basis of EEA - EFTA participation in the Internal Market. The
EEA Council also recalled the practice of inviting the EEA - EFTA States - at the
level of officials - to political dialogue meetings with relevant Working Groups of
the Council of the European Union in the troika format and expressed its
appreciation to the incoming Austrian Presidency for the continuation of this
practice.

Ref: 14739/05(Presse 309)