The EFTA Surveillance Authority as the EEA w atchdog Brussels, 2 2 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The EFTA Surveillance Authority as the EEA w atchdog

Brussels, 2 2 Novem ber 2 0 0 7

I nge Hausken Thygesen Press & I nform ation Officer w w w .eftasurv.int

W hat is the EFTA Surveillance Authority? EEA Agreement entails mutual obligations The European Commission monitors the EU Member States The Authority monitors (three of) the EFTA States The Commission has the right of initiative The Authority does not The Authority is a judicial body and not a political body

The Authority is the w atchdog

Monitor the EFTA Countries fulfilment of EEA Agreement obligations The Authority shall be independent General surveillance

• EFTA countries implementation of the principles on

the free movement of goods, persons, services and capital Horizontal areas (e.g. labour law, company law, environmental and consumer protection) Specific surveillance

• Competition, state aid, public procurement

Certain characteristics of the EEA Agreem ent

The EEA Agreement requires homogeneity

• Common rules in all 28 countries
• Same interpretation of the rules in all 28 countries

The EEA Agreement is dynamic

• New rules are adopted every month
• EEA law is intrepreted by the EU and EFTA Courts, the

Commission and the Authority

ESA-offensiv mot Norge

For øyeblikket har EØS-avtalens kontrollorgan, ESA, i Brussel hele 50 saker som går på norske forhold. – De tolker regelverket altfor rigid, mener leder for Nei til EU, Sigbjørn

• Gjelsvik. (Nationen)

Til dom s

Dagbladet 0 3 .1 2 .2 0 0 1 0 6 :1 0 PÅ LEDERPLASS: Radikal kjønnskvotering strider m ot EØS-avtalen, ifølge EFTAs overvåkingsorgan ESA.

Trussel om Lotto-skatt

EFTAs overvåkingsorgan (ESA) har kommet med krav om at Norge enten må innføre skatt på gevinster vunnet i Norge eller oppheve skatten på gevinster som er vunnet i utlandet. (Aftenposten)

Fr Freser mo mot E ESAs h hindr dringe ger

Ap-leder Jens Stoltenberg går til frontalangrep på ESA, som er EØS-avtalens overvåkingsorgan. (VG)

ESA truer barnetrygden i Nord- Troms og Finnmark (Nordlys)

Don’t blam e ESA, it’s your Governm ent’s fault…

• r…

EFTA countries are obliged to …

Implement and follow the EEA Agreement, i.e.:

• To take all appropriate measures to ensure

fulfilment of the obligations arising out of the Agreement

• Abstain from any measure which could jeopardize

the attainment of the objectives of the Agreement

• Facilitate co-operation within the framework of the

Agreement Provide the Authority with all necessary information

General surveillance

Implementation control

• EEA Acts shall be implemented into national law
• Directives have implementation time limits
• Implementation must be notified to the Authority

Conformity assessment

• Correlation between directives and national

provisions Case handling

• Own initiative cases
• Complaints

I f som ething is w rong ...

Own initiative cases

• Based on
• Notification control
• Conformity assessments
• Information in the media etc.

Complaints No power of instruction

• The Authority decides on breaches of EEA Law
• National authorities must decide on the proper

action to rectify the breach

Informal action Formal procedure “Breach of treaty” SCA Art. 31 Letters of formal notice Reasoned opinion EFTA Court Pre-Article 31 letters Requests for information

Procedures

Package meetings

State Aid

The state aid rules

• Main principle: State aid is prohibited
• State aid: Aid to undertakings, in whatever form
• A number of exceptions that the Authority monitors

Requests from an EFTA State to grant state aid must be notified to and approved by the Authority Authority may request that unlawful aid be recovered

Com petition rules

Competition rules applicable to undertakings

• Cartels and other forms of concentration between

undertakings

• Abuse of a dominant market position

The Authority monitors competition in EFTA States, co-

• perates closely with natl. authorties and Commission

Concentrates on cross-border problems The Authority may issue fines to undertakings for breaches of EEA competition rules