From trade forums to global partnerships

Since 1960, EFTA has built a strong record of cooperation with major international organisations, complementing its role as a regional trade actor. From the start, the EFTA States have been active in the OECD, using it as a platform for policy dialogue and economic coordination.

EFTA also maintained close ties with GATT and later with the WTO, where its Member States – acting individually but supported by EFTA coordination – helped shape global trade rules. EFTA engaged with institutions such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) to support the harmonisation of standards, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) where it contributed to discussions, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, on the North–South dialogue.

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