CONCLUSIONS OF THE FOURTH MEETING OF THE EEA COUNCIL

21 NOVEMBER 1995

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1. The fourth meeting of the EEA Council took place in Brussels on 21 November 1995. The meeting was attended by the members of the Council of the European Union, the responsible member of the Commission and members of the Governments of the EFTA states participating in the EEAA.

2. The EEA Council noted the progress report presented by the President of the EEA Joint Committee.

3. The EEA Council assessed the overall functioning and development to date of the EEA Agreement and:

- expressed satisfaction at the continued good functioning of the Agreement and the participation of all parties in the EEA in the development and realisation of the internal market;

- welcomed the increasing importance of the consultation and information procedures between the EU and the EFTA/EEA States in the shaping of EEA relevant legislation and initiatives under preparation in the EU;

- welcomed the contribution of the EEA Joint Committee in maintaining the dynamism of the Agreement and thereby the homogeneity of the European Economic Area;

- welcomed the active contribution in the form of reports, debate and resolutions made by the Joint Parliamentary Committee, most recently at its meeting of 20 November in Vaduz;

- noted with satisfaction that the next meeting of the EEA Consultative Committee is scheduled for January 1996, as well as the continuing close informal contact and co-operation between the social partners in the EFTA States and the European Union;

- noted that the provisions of the Agreement for development of cooperation had led to participation by the EFTA States in new areas, such as culture, Helios II (programmes for the disabled) and that participation in further areas is being considered.

4. The EEA Council noted that Foreign Ministers of countries in the EEA had discussed, within the framework of the political dialogue, a number of foreign policy issues of common interest the day before and stressed the importance of making full use of the opportunities for close political co-operation as provided for in the EEA Council Declaration on the political dialogue of 30 May 1995.

5. The EEA Council had an exchange of views on commercial policy issues. The EEA Council:

- welcomed the progress made along the lines of the pragmatic strategy endorsed by the EEA Council at its meeting in May 1995 for introducing diagonal cumulation between the EC/EFTA countries, treated as one territory for the purposes of rules of origin, and the associated CEECs and underlined the importance of the timely implementation of the strategy defined by the European Council meeting in Essen towards a European cumulation;

- stressing the importance of finalising Protocol 3 with a view to improving market access for processed agricultural products in trade between the EU and its EFTA partners, urged the EEA Joint Committee to complete this part of the EEA Agreement, recognizing the need to find arrangements which comply with the Uruguay Round settlement;

- noted the positive developments in discussions on closer co-operation in the veterinary field;

- noted the resumption of the discussions on the incorporation of the Regulation on maritime cabotage into the EEA Agreement.

6. As regards maintenance of homogeneity in the EEA, which entails the uniform application of common legislation across the European Economic Area, the EEA Council:

- noted that the Council of the European Union had recently established a Code of Conduct with regard to declarations made in the Council, emphasising a more open and transparent practice;

- welcomed the decision of the Council of the European Union, on the basis of the privileged relationship between the EU and the EFTA States participating in the EEA and in the interest of maintaining homogeneity, to authorise the Commission, bearing in mind the Code of Conduct, to bring relevant declarations made by the Council and/or the Commission in the EU Council's minutes to the attention of the EFTA States participating in the EEA.

7. The EEA Council stated its commitment to policies aimed at securing equal opportunities between women and men and underlined the importance of considering the further development of legislation, where necessary, in order to ensure equal opportunities.

8. As regards interregional and crossborder co-operation in the Baltic Sea and the Barents Regions, the EEA Council noted with satisfaction the high priority given across the European Economic Area to these regional cooperation bodies and the important policy discussions currently under way. The Council underlined the need for a coherent approach by all parties involved and agreed to keep in close contact in the elaboration and implementation of policies, with the objective of increasing their overall efficiency.

9. The Council took note of an oral report by the European Investment Bank on the Financial Mechanism established under the EEA Agreement.

10.In conclusion the EEA Council agreed to further develop the dynamic cooperation within the EEA and stressed the importance of making a full use of the information and consultation procedure for a continued good functioning of the Agreement.