EEA extended to Croatia

Agreed minutes were signed in Brussels today, to mark the conclusion of an agreement on Croatia's membership of the EEA  The agreement will enter into force once legal procedures are completed by EU and Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein. Croatia will become the 31st member of the internal market, comprising all the EU member states and the three EEA/EFTA states.  Linked to the agreement is an increase in Iceland‘s tarif-free quotas for fish imports into the EU.  

As a new member state, fulfilling the EU‘s cohesion criteria, Croatia will benefit from the EEA financial mechanism to which Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have agreed to make an extra 5 million EUR contribution. This is in accordance with contributions to new EU member states in the last decade. The aim of the EEA Grants is to reduce social and economic disparities within the EEA and strengthening cooperation between Croatia and EFTA states.