História

The DEEA Delegation (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, the EEA and the North)

The European Parliament's DEEA delegation (officially, the "Delegation for Northern cooperation and for relations with Switzerland and Norway and to the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee and the European Economic Area (EEA) Joint Parliamentary Committee") has acquired its responsibilities gradually, over more than three decades.


Bilateral relations

The Delegation's earliest relations were bilateral, focused on a single country.

The Parliament established a delegation for relations with Switzerland in 1981, a delegation for relations with Iceland in 1987 and one with Norway in 1982.

In 2010, the EU-Iceland Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was established. The Committee originally served as a forum for legislators from the EU and Iceland to review, twice a year, Iceland's progress in joining the EU.

Because Iceland put its EU accession negotiations on hold in 2015, the Committee has decided to meet only once a year. Its rules of procedure have been adapted accordingly.

European Economic Area

The European Economic Area Joint Parliamentary Committee (EEA JPC), which includes a delegation from the European Parliament and one from the parliaments of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, was established in January 1994.

The aim of this Committee has been to contribute, through political dialogue and debate, to a better understanding between the EU and the three countries. The Committee also provides democratic control in the fields covered by the EEA Agreement.

Northern Dimension

European Parliament initiated the Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum as the parliamentary component of the Northern Dimension policy shared by the EU, Russia, Iceland and Norway. The creation of the Forum was based on a European Parliament resolution on the Future of the Northern Dimension, which underlined the Parliament's support for the establishment of the Northern Dimension Forum and its readiness to play a full part in it and to host its first meeting.

An initial conference took place in 2007, followed in 2009 by the first full Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum. Both events were hosted by the European Parliament in Brussels, as well as the Fifth Northern Dimension Parliamentary Forum on 22 November 2017.

The Sixth Forum took place on 18-20 November 2020 in Bodø, Norway.

Arctic, Baltic, Barents and Nordic forums

The European Parliament has participated in the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region and the Nordic Council since 2000, and in the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference and the Barents Parliamentary Conference since 2005.

Generally, the European Parliament has permanent seats in these regional parliamentary assemblies. The only exception is the annual session of the Nordic Council, which the European Parliament joins as an observer.

The European Parliament has met with the West Nordic Council once a year since 2008. This encounter takes the form of an inter-parliamentary meeting and includes representatives from Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.