EC/Switzerland agreement: participation in the European Environmental Agency and the European environment information and observation network

PURPOSE: to conclude an Agreement allowing Swiss participation on the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Environment Information and Observation Network EIONET.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Decision 2006/235/EC  on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Community, of the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation concerning the latter's participation in the European Environment Agency and the European Environment Information and Observation Network.

CONTENT: the trans-frontier nature of environmental issues necessitates that the EEA work closely with third-countries. Switzerland was one of the last European countries with which neither the EEA nor  EIONET, had any formal agreement, hence the conclusion of this Council Decision.

The Agreement states that Switzerland will participate fully on the EEA as well as the EIONET under the terms and conditions spelt out for other non-EU participants, i.e. Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway.

Switzerland will contribute financially, on an annual basis, to both the Agency and EIONET. The annual contribution for a given year will be calculated on the basis of the Community subsidy to the budget of the Agency, divided by the number of Member States of the Community.

In return, Switzerland is expected to inform the Agency of the main elements of its information networks as well as establish a national focal point for co-ordinating and transmitting information to be supplied at national level to the Agency and/or EIONET. Switzerland will participate fully on the Agency but it will have no voting rights.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 1 April 2006.