EEA EFTA States appoint new College and President for the EFTA Surveillance Authority

The EEA EFTA States - Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - have today announced the appointment of a new College for the EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA). The new College will be composed of Arne Røksund of Norway, who will serve as ESA's President, and Árni Páll Árnason of Iceland and Stefan Barriga of Liechtenstein, who are appointed as Members. They will take up their posts on 1 January 2022 for a four-year period.

Mr. Røksund is currently serving as Secretary-General of Norway's Ministry of Defence a position he has held since March 2017. In 2014-2017 he was Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. Mr. Røksund also has a distinguished military career, reaching the rank of Rear Admiral in the Royal Norwegian Navy. He holds a doctorate degree in history. Røksund succeeds Ms. Bente Angell-Hansen, who has served as ESA's President since
1 January 2017.

Mr. Árnason joins ESA from the position of Deputy Managing Director at EEA and Norway Grants. He holds a law degree from the University of Iceland and studied EU law at the College of Europe before embarking on a career as a diplomat, legal counsel and later as a politician. He was elected to the Althingi, Iceland's parliament in 2007. He served as Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security (2009-2010) and Minister of Economic Affairs (2010-2011) and was leader of the Social Democratic Alliance in 2013-2016. Mr. Árnason takes over from Mr. Högni S. Kristjánsson.

Mr. Barriga is currently Deputy Head of Liechtenstein's Mission to the European Union, a position he has held since August 2016. He was previously Deputy Ambassador at Liechtenstein's Mission to the United Nations in New York, and worked as a legal advisor for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also has a background in human rights. Mr. Barriga succeeds Mr. Frank J. Büchel.

The EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) monitors compliance with EEA rules in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, enabling them to participate in the European Union's Internal Market. ESA performs its duties independently of the three States. For more information, check out ESA's website.