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| org_type = Common market | membership_type = Member states | membership = }} | admin_center_type = Secretariat | admin_center = | languages_type = Official working language | languages = English | leader_title1 = Secretary General | leader_name1 = Kristinn F. Árnason | leader_title2 = EFTA Council Chair | leader_name2 = Iceland | established = 3 May 1960 | established_event1 = | established_date1 = 4 January 1960 | area_rank = | area_magnitude = | area_km2 = 529,600 | area_sq_mi = 204,518 | percent_water = | population_estimate = 13,589,956 | population_estimate_rank = | population_estimate_year = 2012 | population_density_km2 = 100.6 | population_density_sq_mi = 59.82 | population_density_rank = | GDP_PPP = $623.5 billion | GDP_PPP_rank = | GDP_PPP_year = 2011 IMF | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $44,828 | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = | GDP_nominal = $1138.8 billion | GDP_nominal_rank = | GDP_nominal_year = 2011 IMF | GDP_nominal_per_capita = $58,714 | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = |currency = | time_zone = WET (UTC) CET | utc_offset = +1 | time_zone_DST = WEST (UTC+1) CEST | DST_note = | utc_offset_DST = +2 | calling_code = See telephone numbers in Europe | official_website = }} The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a common market consisting of four European countries that operates in parallel withand is linked tothe European Union (EU). The EFTA was established on 3 May 1960 as a trade bloc-alternative for European states who were either unable or unwilling to join the then-European Economic Community (EEC) which has now become the EU. The Stockholm Convention, establishing the EFTA, was signed on 4 January 1960 in the Swedish capital by seven countries (known as the "outer seven"). Today's EFTA members are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland, of which the latter two were founding members. The initial Stockholm Convention was superseded by the Vaduz Convention, which enabled greater liberalisation of trade among the member states. EFTA states have jointly concluded free trade agreements with a number of other countries. All four current members of EFTA participate in the European Union's single market: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the Agreement on a European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland through a set of bilateral agreements. This development prompted the EFTA states to modernise their Convention to ensure that it will continue to provide a successful framework for the expansion and liberalization of trade among themselves and with the rest of the world. == History == British reaction to the creation of the EEC was mixed and complex. Britain was also preoccupied with the Commonwealth, which, at the time of EFTA's formation, was in transition. Britain therefore brought together several countries, including some bordering the EEC, to form the European Free Trade Association soon after the establishment of the six-nation EEC (France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands). On 12 January 1960, the Treaty on European Free Trade Association was initialled in the Golden Hall of the Prince's Palace of Stockholm. This established the progressive elimination of customs duties on industrial products, but did not affect agricultural products or maritime trade. The main difference between the early EEC and the EFTA was the absence of a common external customs tariff, and therefore each EFTA member was free to establish individual customs duties against, or individual free trade agreements with, non EFTA countries. Despite this modest initiative, the financial results were excellent, as it stimulated an increase of foreign trade volume among its members from 3.5 to 8.2 billion US dollars between 1959 and 1967. This was rather less than the increase enjoyed by countries inside the EEC. After the accession of Denmark, Ireland and the UK to the EEC in January 1973, EFTA began to falter. For this reason most countries eased or eliminated their trade tariffs in preparation to join the EEC, but experienced declining revenue which reduced the importance of EFTA. Four members remain: Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009 due to the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis, but has since dropped its bid.〔http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/12/iceland-drops-european-union-membership-bid〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「European Free Trade Association」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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