How the EEA Enables Indirect Participation in the EU’s CFSP: The Case of Norway

Abstract

The European Economic Area (EEA) extends the European Union (EU) internal market to three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states (EEA/EFTA states) and is commonly viewed as a predominantly economic integration framework. Recent geopolitical developments and the evolving EU security and defence agenda, however, raise the question of whether participation in the EEA can directly or indirectly serve as a channel for aligning the foreign and security policies of EEA/EFTA states with the objectives of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The present article, through an analysis of legal acts, soft-law instruments, programmes, and strategies, focuses on the Kingdom of Norway which, as the only EEA/EFTA member state that is also a NATO member, possesses a well-developed defence industrial base and cooperates closely with the EU on security matters. On this basis, we then address the question of whether the EEA Agreement also gives rise to integration in the field of the CFSP.