The EEA two-pillar system

In the European Economic Area (EEA), the group of the European Union (EU) Member States and the group of the EEA/EFTA (European Free Trade Association) Member States each have their own institutions.

In terms of its institutions, the EEA is characterised by a two-pillar system in which each pillar has its own international supervisory and judicial institution. One pillar is for the EU Member States and the other for the EEA/EFTA States. The respective institutions are important in the context of a number of administrative and court procedures that are intended to safeguard respect for the common law.

Further reading

Read on the Polydor principle in Christa Tobler, ‘Context-related Interpretation of Association Agreements. The Polydor Principle in a Comparative Perspective: EEA Law, Ankara Association Law and Market Access Agreements between Switzerland and the EU’, in: Daniel Thym/Margerite Zoeteweij-Turhan (eds), Rights of Third-Country Nationals under EU Association Agreements. Degrees of Free Movement and Citizenship, Leiden: Brill/Nijhoff 2015, 101-126.

Read on dispute settlement in Christa Tobler, ‘Dispute Resolution under the EEA Agreement’, in: Carl Baudenbacher (ed), The Handbook of EEA Law, Cham: Springer 2015, 195-207.