North an important informal meeting of EFTA ministers
Swiss President, Guy Parmelin, in Siglufjördur to talk with Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein about tariff-free market, EU and UK
On July 6 and 7, 2021, President Guy Parmelin of the Swiss Confederation will participate in an informal ministerial meeting of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in Iceland. A meeting with Icelandic President Gudni Jóhannesson is also planned for that occasion.
The informal ministerial meeting will be held in Siglufjördur at the invitation of the EFTA President, Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson.
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How to strengthen the EFTA Free Trade Policy
The Ministers of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will deepen the topics already discussed during the regular Ministerial Conference held online on May 31, in particular to understand which measures are necessary to strengthen the EFTA Free Trade Policy in light of the current challenges in world trade and the respective domestic political situations.
The purpose of the meeting is also to lay the foundations for continued constructive cooperation within EFTA and to concretize its priorities in the medium term.
The Ministers will also discuss the implementation of measures to increase transparency, as well as measures to ensure effective and pragmatic monitoring of trade and sustainable development provisions in EFTA Free Trade Agreements.
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Relations with the European Union and Great Britain on the table
An exchange on current developments in the EFTA states’ relations with the European Union and the United Kingdom is also planned.
The next regular EFTA Ministerial Conference will be held in June 2022, also in Iceland.
Prior to the ministerial meeting, Federal President Guy Parmelin will be received by Icelandic President Gudni Jóhannesson on July 6.
The talks will focus on cooperation between the two countries at the international level. Both share similar values and concerns in the UN, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Economic relations also represent a potential to be exploited.
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The work of the Arctic Council, which Iceland chaired for two years until last May, will also be discussed. The Arctic Council works to promote the ecological, economic and social aspects of sustainable development in the Arctic. Switzerland has sat on this organization since 2017, with observer status.
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