What exactly are third countries, EFTA and EU? – Employland (2024)

EU, EFTA and third countries

European Union - EU

The EU consists of the following states:

  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Denmark
  • Germany
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Greece
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Croatia
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • The Netherlands
  • Austria
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Sweden
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Czech Republic
  • Hungary
  • United Kingdom
  • Cyprus
  • Iceland
  • Liechtenstein

European Economic Area – EEA

The European Economic Area (EEA) is comprised of all EU-member states, as well as these states:

Third countries

All countries that are not included in the above lists of EU and EFTA states are called third countries.

Third countries according to § 26 of the Employment Regulation (BeschV)

Third countries according to § 26 (1) of the Employment Regulation include:

  • Monaco
  • New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • San Marino
  • United States of America

Third countries according to § 26 (2) of the Employment Regulation include:

  • Albania
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Kosovo
  • Macedonia
  • Montenegro
  • Serbia

Third countries according to § 41 (1) of the Residence Regulation (AufenthV)

Third countries according to § 41 (1) of the Residence Regulation include:

  • Australia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Canada
  • South Korea
  • New Zealand
  • United States of America

Safe countries of origin

Safe countries of origin according to § 29a of the asylum law (AsylG), in addition to the countries of the European Union, include the following states:

  • Albania
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Ghana
  • Kosovo
  • Macedonia
  • Montenegro
  • Senegal
  • Serbia
What exactly are third countries, EFTA and EU? – Employland (2024)

FAQs

What are considered 3rd countries? ›

The term Third World was originally coined in times of the Cold War to distinguish those nations that are neither aligned with the West (NATO) nor with the East, the Communist bloc. Today the term is often used to describe the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia/Oceania.

What does the EU consider a third country? ›

Definition(s)

A country that is not a member of the European Union as well as a country or territory whose citizens do not enjoy the European Union right to free movementEN•••, as defined in Art. 2(5) of the Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code)EN•••.

What are EU EEA EFTA countries? ›

Information about the three EEA EFTA States: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The 27 EU Member States, together with the three EFTA States Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, make up the EEA Contracting Parties (the 30 EEA States).

What is the third country to horizon Europe? ›

Third countries associated to Horizon Europe: Albania.

Is the US considered a 3rd world country? ›

The United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Western European nations and their allies represented the "First World", while the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam and their allies represented the "Second World".

What is an example of third country? ›

Quick Reference. In an international firm, a TCN is a person whose nationality is different from that of the firm, and of the country in which the firm is operating: for example, a UK manager working for an Australian-based subsidiary of a Japanese company. [See host-country national and parent-country national.]

What 3 countries are not part of the European Union? ›

European Countries (NON-EU)
  • Albania. See Entry Requirements for Albania. ...
  • Azerbaijan. See Entry Requirements for Azerbaijan. ...
  • Georgia. See Entry Requirements for Georgia. ...
  • Liechtenstein. See Entry Requirements for Liechtenstein. ...
  • Montenegro. See Entry Requirements for Montenegro. ...
  • Serbia. See entry requirements for Serbia. ...
  • Turkey.

What are 3 countries not in EU? ›

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

Although these countries are not members of the EU, their nationals can work in the EU on the same footing as EU nationals, since they belong to the European Economic Area. Workers from Croatia may face temporary restrictions on working in Liechtenstein.

What 3 countries are trying to join the EU? ›

The present enlargement agenda of the European Union regards three distinct groups of states:
  • Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.
  • Association Trio: Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
  • Turkey.

What are the three EFTA countries? ›

Information about the EFTA Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The four EFTA States are competitive in several sectors vital to the global economy and score among the highest in the world in competitiveness, wealth creation per inhabitant, life expectancy and quality of life.

What is the difference between EFTA and EU? ›

What is the difference between EFTA and EU membership? One of the main differences between EFTA and EU membership is that EFTA members are not part of the EU Customs Union. As EFTA states are not part of the EU Customs Union, they negotiate trade deals separately to the EU.

What countries make up the EFTA? ›

EFTA stands for European Free Trade Association. It is a regional trade organisation and a free trade area between each of the Member States.
...
It has 4 Member States:
  • Iceland.
  • Liechtenstein.
  • Norway.
  • Switzerland.

What are the parts of Europe 3? ›

European Regions
  • Northern Europe.
  • Western Europe.
  • Eastern Europe.
  • Southern Europe.

What is third country of origin? ›

Third country national (TCN) is a term often used in the context of migration, referring to individuals who are in transit and/or applying for visas in countries that are not their country of origin (i.e. country of transit), in order to go to a destination country that is likewise not their country of origin.

What is an EU associated country? ›

Associated Countries are non-EU countries that pay into the Horizon Europe budget to be treated equally to the EU Member States for the purposes of the programme.

Is Mexico a third country? ›

According to the definition, Mexico is a third-world country. But it's not quite so simple. But using GDP, economic index, and World Bank report, the country is far from being a third world.

Why is Mexico a Third World country? ›

However, the country is characterised by vast social disparities. More than 40 per cent of the people live in poverty. Crime, governance that lacks transparency, a shortage of skilled workers, human rights abuses and corruption are impediments to development.

What is the third country concept? ›

The concept of “safe third country” is defined with reference to Article 27 of the original Asylum Procedures Directive and where appropriate with an EU list of safe third countries, as a country where the applicant does not face persecution or serious harm, has the possibility to seek recognition as a refugee and, if ...

What is a third rule country? ›

It means that a country can reject a person's asylum application if they have already been granted protection by another country. It is also often referred to as 'safe third country' principle. This broader term includes other relationships between an asylum seeker and a third country where they are deemed safe.

Is the UK considered a third country? ›

Why is the UK a third country now? When the Brexit transition period ended and UK officially left the EU, as a non-member without freedom of movement, the country joins the rest of the world in its less privileged status.

Which country is not in EU and UN? ›

Holy See/Vatican City

It is also the only independent nation to choose not to apply for membership of the United Nations.

Why Switzerland is not in EU? ›

6 December 1992: joining the European Economic Area is rejected by 50.3% of voters. This vote strongly highlighted the cultural divide between the German- and the French-speaking cantons, the Röstigraben.

Why is Sweden not in EU? ›

Sweden and the Convergence Criteria

Sweden has avoided adopting the euro by not joining the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II). Sweden fulfills all of the criteria for adopting the euro but has argued that membership of the ERM II system is optional and has refused to join.

Who is not part of the EU? ›

Three non-EU countries (Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City) have open borders with the Schengen Area but are not members. The EU is considered an emerging global superpower, whose influence was hampered in the 21st century due to the Euro Crisis starting in 2008 and the United Kingdom's departure from the EU.

Is USA a non Schengen country? ›

The Schengen Borders Agreement permits citizens from certain countries - including the United States - to travel freely to 26 European countries within the Schengen area (see list below) for up to three months for tourism or business.

Why Ukraine is not part of EU? ›

According to observers, this is due to such factors as the unwillingness of the EU to expand to the post-Soviet space, the poor performance of the Ukrainian economy, the lack of democracy (during the 1990s), and the internal instability (following the Orange Revolution).

What are the three 3 areas of cooperation EU member countries must abide by? ›

Areas of EU action
  • 3 principles.
  • Only EU can legislate.
  • EU or national governments can legislate.
  • Member countries legislate, EU helps.
  • EU plays special role.

What are the three 3 benefits countries enjoy by joining the European Union? ›

a continent at peace. freedom for its citizens to live, study or work anywhere in the EU. the world's biggest single market. aid and development assistance for millions of people worldwide.

Can non European countries join NATO? ›

NATO is a military alliance of twenty-nine European and two North American countries that constitutes a system of collective defense. The process of joining the alliance is governed by Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which allows for the invitation of "other European States" only and by subsequent agreements.

Can new countries join EFTA? ›

Any State that becomes a member of EFTA has an obligation to apply to become a party to EFTA's existing free trade agreements according to Article 56 of the EFTA Convention. The accession of a new Member State to our FTAs can only be negotiated with the consent of the other Party or Parties to the agreement.

What is EFTA also known as? ›

EFTA is an intergovernmental organisation established in 1960 by the EFTA Convention, that promotes free trade and economic integration between its members, within Europe and globally .

What is the purpose of the EFTA? ›

The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) was established by a Convention signed in Stockholm on 4 January 1960. The main objective of the Association was to liberalise trade among its Member States, and the Convention thus contained basic rules regarding free trade in goods and related disciplines.

How many countries are in the EU? ›

The European Union is a group of 27 countries in Europe. to make things better, easier and safer for people.

Is the UK still in the EU EFTA? ›

On 8 July 2021, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (the EEA EFTA States) and the United Kingdom (UK) signed a comprehensive free trade agreement. Switzerland earlier concluded a bilateral free trade agreement with the UK. Find the UK-EEA EFTA Separation Agreement here.

Who does the EFTA apply to? ›

The Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) is a federal law that protects consumers when they transfer funds electronically, including through the use of debit cards, automated teller machines (ATMs), and automatic withdrawals from a bank account.

Who enforces the EFTA? ›

The Dodd-Frank Act transferred rule-making authority under the EFTA from the Federal Reserve Board to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and, with respect to entities under its jurisdiction, granted authority to the CFPB to supervise and enforce compliance with EFTA and its implementing regulations.

What are the 4 main regions of Europe? ›

Europe has been traditionally divided into regions based on location according to the four points of the compass: Eastern Europe, southern Europe, Western Europe, and northern Europe. The British Isles are often considered a separate region but can be included as a part of Western Europe.

What is the name of the third largest country in Europe? ›

Ukraine, the second largest country on the continent, is only 603,000 km2, making it about 28 times smaller than its eastern neighbor, or seven times smaller than the European part of Russia. France is the third largest country in Europe, but the largest in the European Union.

What are the 4 zones in Europe? ›

The United Nations Geoscheme divides Europe into 4 subregions: Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Southern Europe. The U.N. Geoscheme does not necessarily reflect the former or current geopolitical divisions of Europe. Eastern Europe is the largest and most populous subregion of Europe.

What is a high risk third-country? ›

“High-risk jurisdictions have significant strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and financing of proliferation.

What is the difference between expatriates and third-country nationals? ›

Expatriates who are from the country where the company is headquartered are referred to as headquarters expatriates. An expatriate may also be referred to as a parent-country national. Third-country nationals (TCNs). These employees are not from the home country or the host country.

What is the benefit of using a third-country national? ›

The main reason why companies use third-country nationals as a staffing strategy is the ability of a candidate to represent the company's interests and transfer corporate technology and competencies. Sometimes the best person to do this isn't based in the host country.

What is the EU currently called? ›

1 The European Union in brief. The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political union between 27 European countries.

Which third country is not associated to Horizon Europe? ›

Liechtenstein does not intend to associate to Horizon Europe.

Do EU countries have states? ›

By the conventional definition, there are 44 sovereign states or nations in Europe.

What are 3rd and 2nd world countries? ›

The Second World consisted of the communist Soviet Union and its Eastern European satellites. The Third World, meanwhile, encompassed all the other countries that were not actively aligned with either side in the Cold War.

What is a 2nd or 3rd world country? ›

The First World consisted of the U.S., Western Europe and their allies. The Second World was the so-called Communist Bloc: the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and friends. The remaining nations, which aligned with neither group, were assigned to the Third World.

What is the difference between 1st 2nd and 3rd country? ›

1—The bloc of democratic-industrial countries within the American influence sphere, the “First World”. 2—The Eastern bloc of the communist-socialist states, the “Second World”. 3—The remaining three-quarters of the world's population, states not aligned with either bloc were regarded as the “Third World.”

Why is it called a Third World country? ›

Because many countries in the Third World were impoverished, the term came to be used to refer to countries where poverty is rampant, where health care is inadequate, and where democracy does not flourish.

What is the origin of 3rd world country? ›

Coined by French demographer Alfred Sauvy in the 1950s, "third world" refers to economically underdeveloped countries. Sauvy was making an analogy between pre-industrial nations with the poor of pre-Revolutionary France, who were considered part of the "third estate."

Is Mexico a Third World? ›

The World Bank classifies Mexico as an upper-middle-income country. However, the country is characterised by vast social disparities.

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