The decision-making process in the EEA Agreement is characterised by its two-pillar structure. Read more about the EEA institutions in this section.
The EEA Agreement aims at achieving a homogeneous European Economic Area based on common rules and equal conditions of competition, without the transfer of legislative powers to supranational institutions. This is ensured through the incorporation of relevant EU legal acts into the EEA Agreement, and mechanisms catering for uniform interpretation and application of such rules throughout the EEA.
The institutional set-up of the EEA Agreement is based on a two-pillar structure, which consists of independent EU and EFTA pillars. In the EFTA pillar, certain EU bodies are mirrored, such as a surveillance authority and a court of justice. Substantive decisions relating to the EEA Agreement and its operation are a joint venture between the EFTA States and the EU in the hands of EEA joint bodies.
The two-pillar EEA structure:
