From Rivalry Toward Cooperation. Integration within European Economic Area

The path of European economic integration these days seems to be dominated by the European Union – its functioning and current challenges. It is however worth emphasizing, that the process of European integration together with commercial and trade aspects thereof, includes also elements which remain beyond the mainstream of Union–oriented debate and involve countries not being EU Member States. European Economic Area (EEA) is a good example of that. The supranational model of integration combined with inclinations towards more traditional, intergovernmental, concept of cooperation resulted in a very interesting form of economic integration grouping. The motives for establishing EEA, the mosaic of interests represented by states engaged, the economic conditionings in that respect and – finally – the character of EEA and the peculiar instruments of decision-making are then worth a closer analysis. No less important are perspectives of EEA further development. Those problems are the main elements of considerations presented in this contribution.