European Economic Area

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The European Economic Area (EEA) is not the EU, but something rather close to it, comprising all the members of the EU and those of the European Free Trade Association (ummm except Switzerland — go figure), who are broadly bound by all EU regulations that are marked “text with EEA relevance” even though they have no say in the creation of those regulations.

The members of the EU, being:

• Austria
  
• Belgium
  
• Bulgaria
  
• Croatia
  
• Cyprus
  
• Czech Republic
  
• Denmark
  
• Estonia
  
• Finland
  
• France
  
• Germany
  
• Greece
  
• Hungary
  
• Ireland
  
• Italy
  
• Latvia
  
• Lithuania
  
• Luxembourg
  
• Malta
  
• Netherlands
  
• Poland
  
• Portugal
  
• Romania
  
• Slovakia
  
• Slovenia
  
• Spain
  
• Sweden
  
• United Kingdom
  

As well as the following EFTA members:

• Iceland
  
• Liechtenstein
  
• Norway
  

References

The EEA allows them to be part of the EU’s single market.

Switzerland is neither an EU or EEA member but is part of the single market - this means Swiss nationals have the same rights to live and work in the UK as other EEA nationals. Switzerland, and die Schweitzeren, occasionally count as EEA members, as it does in some obscure Air Transport Regulation.

See also

• Europe
• European Union
• Single market
• European Economic Area