Europe already has a well-established alternative to undemocratic EU colossus

THE European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was founded in the 1960s to achieve economic growth, full employment, an increase in productivity, financial stability and a constant improvement of living standards by abolishing trade restrictions among member states.

Today there are four member states remaining — Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and the Principality of Liechtenstein. All the others have joined the EU.

The EFTA never aimed at becoming a political body and not an undemocratic, centralised colossus like today’s EU either.

Without giving up their state sovereignty, the EFTA member states agreed on a gradual reduction of customs duties on industrial products.

Since 1994, the EFTA has intensively established free trade agreements with countries of the former eastern bloc, with Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.

In addition, there are cooperation agreements with Albania, Egypt and Macedonia. The EFTA never aimed at establishing a common market. It only regulated the free trade on a commercial basis under just competitive conditions. The member states excluded agricultural products as a common market because these would have contradicted the basic structure of a loose association and restricted the free range of activity for individual states.

The EFTA states acknowledged the principle of self-supply as a national task. Through their reliable alternative to the EU and the establishment of a free trade zone in Europe, they maintained their own political interests and resisted political centralism.

This was of special importance for countries like Switzerland as it served the security of self-supply and helped to support traditional small-scale agricultural units which are so typical for these two countries.

Moreover, it added a humane dimension: active self-help, self-determination, and the right to decide on the countries’ own food supplies. For this reason alone, the EFTA represent a viable alternative to the EU.

Dr Titine Kriesi

Neugrubenstr. 20

CH-9500 Wil

Switzerland