The Consultative Committee of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a forum composed of trade unions and employer organizations from the four EFTA Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
The Committee is mandated to perform several functions, many pertaining to cross-border social dialogue. First, the committee operates as a forum for social dialogue among social partners from all EFTA countries. Second, as EFTA countries are also part of the European Economic Area (EEA) – a common regional economic area within the EU – the Committee performs a liaison function with European trade unions and employers’ associations operating in the EEA, and more broadly with social partners of EU Member States. Finally, the committee seeks to raise awareness on social and economic aspects of the EFTA’s and the EEA’s Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), and on the specific role of the social partners in these FTAs.
In particular, the Committee assesses and provides its opinion on EU/EEA matters and FTAs, including on the question of trade, sustainable development, digitalization and e-commerce.
The EFTA’s Consultative Committee holds between four and five internal meetings per year, in addition to its annual joint meetings with the Standing Committee of the EFTA States. Twice a year, the EFTA social partners meet with the EFTA Council at ministerial level. That is, with ministers from all four EFTA States in the Spring, and with the Ministerial Chair in the Autumn. Additionally, annual meetings with the EFTA Parliamentary Committees ensure a fruitful exchange of views between social partners and parliamentarians from the EFTA countries. Finally, informal consultations with relevant working groups under the Standing Committee structure also take place.
The Consultative Committee provides opinions and resolutions presented to the EFTA authorities and EEA bodies. It also puts together working papers as a basis for discussion on new and emerging issues of relevance to the EFTA and the EEA.