Implementation of Internal Market Legislation Relevant to the Information Society

The internal market of the European Union has coordinated various policies which are relevant to the Information Society among the 25 EU Member States. But the EU has also made a far reaching third dimensional trade agreement, extending the scope of the internal market outside borders of the EU. By the Agreement on the European Economic Area the three EFTA States, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein have become part of the internal market. This entails that EU law in the fields of electronic commerce, electronic communications, information society services and data protection, to name a few, has not only been coordinated among the EU 25 Member States, but also the EEA 28 States. For the purpose of these policies, the EFTA EEA States are not regarded as third countries by the EU. However, there are peculiarities to the legal effects of the EEA and both pillars are facing several common challenges in the fields of the Information Society.