European Customs Association
The European Customs Association (ECA) is a common market organization between 11 member states centered around Central and Northern Europe. It facilitates movement of goods and labor between nations, as well as issuing foreign policy statements for the economic safety of the group.
History[edit]
The ECA was established in 1975 as the Central Europe Natural Resources Association (CENRA) between Germany, Austria, and Poland-Lithuania. Its original purpose was to lower restrictions on transport of natural resources such as oil, coal, and minerals. In 1982, Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, three states tied to the German economy, joined the association.
The institutions and powers of CENRA grew over time as Germany and Poland-Lithuania sought closer integration to continue to rebound from after the Third World War. In 1988, Slovakia acceded to the union. Czechia applied to join the union shortly afterward, but failed to meet the economic requirements to do so.
In 1995, the New Breslau Treaty was signed, transforming CENRA into the ECA, expanding its powers to ease transport of most economic resources. Norway was also a party of the treaty, including them as a member of the new organization. Italy joined in 1997, Sweden in 2009, Finland in 2014, and Iceland in 2018.
An agreement was made in 2016 to extend some of the functions of the ECA to Bukovina, but accession is not planned for the foreseeable future.
Members[edit]
| Name | Join date |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1975 |
| Austria | |
| Poland-Lithuania | |
| Denmark | 1982 |
| Luxembourg | |
| Netherlands | |
| Slovakia | 1988 |
| Norway | 1995 |
| Italy | 1997 |
| Sweden | 2009 |
| Finland | 2014 |
| Iceland | 2018 |