DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE No 333/2022

of 9 December 2022

amending Annex X (Services in general) to the EEA Agreement [2023/1275]

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (“the EEA Agreement”), and in particular Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures and to assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 ( 1 ) is to be incorporated into the EEA Agreement.

(2) Annex X to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Annex X to the EEA Agreement shall be amended as follows:

The following indent is added in point 3 (Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council):

‘-

32018 R 1724 : Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 ( OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 1 ).’

In point 3 (Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council), the following adaptations are inserted after adaptation (b):

‘(c)

In the second paragraph of Article 5:

(i) in point (b), the words “Union law” shall read “the EEA Agreement”;

(ii) in point (g), the words “, the EFTA Surveillance Authority” shall be inserted after the word “Commission”.

(d) In Article 9(4), the words “, the EFTA Surveillance Authority” shall be inserted after the word “Commission”.’

The following is inserted after point 4 (Regulation (EU) 2018/302 of the European Parliament and of the Council):

‘5.

32018 R 1724 : Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 October 2018 establishing a single digital gateway to provide access to information, to procedures and to assistance and problem-solving services and amending Regulation (EU) No 1024/2012 ( OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 1 ).

The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of this Agreement, be read with the following adaptations:

(a) References to Union law shall be understood as references to the EEA Agreement.

(b) In Article 1(1), the words “Article 26(2) TFEU” shall read “Article 1(2)(a) to (d) of the EEA Agreement”.

“As regards the EFTA States, the Commission shall activate the links referred to in paragraph 1 upon request by the EFTA Surveillance Authority.”

(d) In Article 6(4), the words “, the EFTA Surveillance Authority” shall be inserted after the words “the Commission”.

(e) In Article 7(4), the following subparagraph shall be added:

“As regards the EFTA States, the Commission shall activate the links referred to in paragraph 3 upon request by the EFTA Surveillance Authority.”

(f) In Article 17, the following paragraph shall be added:

“4. As regards the EFTA States, the Commission shall temporarily disconnect the information, the procedure, or the assistance or problem-solving service pursuant to point (d) of paragraph 2 or disconnect an assistance or problem-solving service pursuant to paragraph 3 upon request by the EFTA Surveillance Authority.”

(g) In Article 25(3) and (4), the words “, the EFTA Surveillance Authority” shall be inserted after the word “Commission”.

(h) In Article 29, the words “and a representative of the EFTA Surveillance Authority” shall be inserted after the words “Member State”.

(i) In Annex I, as regards the EFTA States, the words “Union Customs Code” shall be replaced by the words “relevant legislation”.’

Article 2

The text of Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, to be published in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union , shall be authentic.

Article 3

This Decision shall enter into force on 10 December 2022, provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement have been made ( *1 ) .

Article 4

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Union .

Done at Brussels, 9 December 2022.

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

Kristján Andri STEFÁNSSON

( 1 ) OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 1 .

( *1 ) Constitutional requirements indicated.

Joint Declaration by the Contracting Parties

to Decision No 333/2022 incorporating Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 of the European Parliament and of the Council into the Agreement

‘Some of the areas referred to in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 and some of the procedures referred to in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 fall outside the scope of the EEA Agreement. The incorporation of this Regulation is without prejudice to the scope of the EEA Agreement.’