Being European, outside the EU: EFTA, EEA and UK

Currently outside the European Union for various reasons, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK share with the EU common values which should lead to more intense cooperation in the present geopolitical situation, beyond economic matters and also including security and defence. On the constitutional level, we argue that the EU’s relations with these countries – and with others such as Andorra, Monaco and San Marino – should be perceived as a special and distinct sub-part of the European Neighbourhood Policy under Article 8 TEU, where not only geographical proximity and economic ties, but also and foremost common values form an essential basis for the mutual relations and which must lead to mutual trust. These aspects should be seen as a key pillar of the EU’s partnership architecture and of EU constitutionalism.