EU/EEA countries

Who are the member states of the European Union (EU)?

The EU is composed of 27 Member States:  Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom

What is the EEA?

The EEA joins together the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) and the three EEA/EFTA States (Liechtenstein,Iceland, and Norway) in a Single Market with about 496 million [people], where the same basic rules apply to all participating States. The citizens of all 30 EEA Member States have the right to move freely within the entire EEA, to live, work, establish companies, invest, and acquire real estate (often referred to as the “four freedoms”). Article 4 of the EEA Agreement also prohibits any discrimination on grounds of nationality (principle of non-discrimination).

What about Switzerland?

It is neither part of the EU, nor the EEA, but it has a free movement agreement with the EU and EEA

Does free movement also apply to more remote parts of EU member states?

It includes the Azores, Madeira (Portugal), the Ǻland islands (Finland), the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla (Spain) and the French overseas departments. It also applies to Gibraltar.

It does not apply to the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Faeroe Islands (Denmark) or to overseas countries and territories.