28. 5. 84 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC 140/11 
Opinion on the relations between the European Community and the EFTA countries 
(84/C 140/04) 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 1 March 1984, the Economic and Social Committee decided, in accordance with 
Article 20 (4) of its Rules of Procedure, to deliver an opinion on relations between the 
European Community and the EFTA countries. 
Procedure: 
This matter was referred to the Section for External Relations, which adopted its opi­
nion on 13 March 1984. 
B. OPINION OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
After listening to the oral report by the rapporteur, MrZinkin, on 28 March 1984, 
during the 216th plenary session held on 28 and 29 March 1984, the Economic and 
Social Comittee adopted, by 69 votes to 4, with 11 abstentions, 
THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
The Ministers of the European Communities and of 
the European Free Trade Association are meeting 
for the first time for discussions at Luxembourg on 
9 April 1984. The Committee takes advantage of this 
occasion to express its firm hope that this will lead 
to still greater cooperation. 
The EEC and EFTA are each other's best customers. 
Between them they constitute the biggest single 
industrial market in the world, accounting for 
around 40 % of world trade. 
The unity of this market is, however, still impaired 
by non-tariff barriers, such as frontier formalities 
and the lack of common technical standards. 
The Committee considers that the easing of these 
formalities and the adoption of common standards 
are priorities in trade relations between the two 
groups. 
Until this is done, the single market cannot exercise 
its full potential in providing employment and in 
improving the competitiveness of both the EEC and 
EFTA in relation to the world's other great econo­
mic units. 
The Committee therefore calls for increased cooper­
ation between the Community and the EFTA coun­
tries, on a pragmatic basis and taking into account 
the institutional differences between the two groups 
of countries. In this connection the Committee wishes to encourage regular exchanges of views on 
ways and means: 
— to remove all non-tariff barriers in trade 
between the partners in the European free trade 
system, 
— to simplify rules of origin and border controls, 
and 
— to harmonize or apply common standards and 
technical regulations. 
In the same spirit the Committee believes that the 
Community and the EFTA countries should work 
together and concert their approach in GATT and 
OECD in order to promote further liberalization of 
world trade, especially on the following issues: 
— tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade in indus­
trial goods, 
— subsidies distorting the conditions of interna­
tional competition, and 
— obstacles to trade in services. 
The interdependence of the West European econ­
omies has been increasing. The Committee therefore 
recommends more concertation between the Com­
munity and the EFTA countries and a continuing 
dialogue, which should include the social partners, 
aimed at achieving an economic revival in Europe, 
and in particular at reducing unemployment. 
A concertation of policies on innovation, the 
development of new technologies and structural 
adjustment to take advantage of the whole West 
European market would be particularly valuable. 
Done at Brussels, 28 March 1984. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Francis CEYRAC