EFTA and the EC: Implications of 1992

In a speech to the European Parliament on 17 January 1989, Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities (EC), dealt with the Community's relations with the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Basically he saw two options: (1) sticking to present relations, i.e. the bilateral Free Trade Agreements of the early 1970s and some additional agreements worked out through the so-called Luxembourg process since 1984, or (2) 'a new, more structured partnership with common decision-making and administrative institutions to make our activities more effective and to highlight the political dimension of our cooperation in the economic, social, financial and cultural spheres.'

The papers published in this volume analyze various aspects of EC-EFTA relations. The renewed interest in European integration manifested by the EFTA countries is very much due to the EC's internal market project and its new momentum in general. Papers by Jacques Pelkmans and the editor deal with the Community of today from economic and political perspectives. Eric Hayes takes a Community look at EC-EFTA relations; Per Wijkman takes an EFTA look; and Thomas Pedersen takes a wider systemic look at these relations. National EFTA positions are analyzed by Martin Sæter (Norway), Carl-Einar Stålvant (Sweden), Esko Antola (Finland), Paul Luif (Austria), and Pierre Lucas (Switzerland). Given the fact that four of the six EFTA countries are Nordic countries, we have also included a paper by Ernst Goldschmidt on the role of the Nordic Council. Since the fifth Nordic country, Denmark, is a member of the Community, we have further included a paper by Thomas Pedersen discussing the concept of bridge-building.

1990 will be an interesting year in Europe. We witness amazing changes in both East and West. How will the European Economic Space (EES), comprising the twelve Community and six EFTA countries, evolve? Will new negotiations take it towards the 'more structured partnership' that Delors spoke about? Or will political, psychological and other factors limit progress in that direction?