These are the results of the semi-annual ESA (EFTA Surveillance Authority) scoreboard that was published in July. Liechtenstein has a similarly high transposition rate, 99.5 percent, whereas Iceland is lagging somewhat behind with 98.9 percent of its relevant directives transposed. Norway has improved its results since the last report was published, where it had a 98.9 transposition rate.
The EFTA countries have on average a 0.7 percent transposition deficit, and are thereby showing better results than the average of the EU countries. The average transposition deficit in the EU is one percent. The EU rate has been higher than the EFTA rate since December 2007, but lately the tide has turned, and the EFTA countries are now above the average transposition rate for all the states taken together.
When the last semi-annual report was published, Norway was at place 21 out of 30 on the score board, which was a fall from 9th place in spring 2008. Norway has regained lost ground however, and is now sharing 5th place. Norway has six directives it has so far failed to transpose, the same number as EU member state Finland. Liechtenstein has nine non-transposed directives, while Iceland has 19 overdue directives.
Whereas some countries use a long time to transpose their directives into national legislation, neither Norway nor Liechtenstein have any directives which are more than two years overdue. The average transposition delay in Norway is five months, while the average for the EFTA countries is somewhat higher due to the fact that Iceland uses longer time to transpose its directives.
Overall, the ESA score board shows that there has been great progress over the last six months. While the previous report showed a negative trend concerning both the transposition rate and transposition delay, this report points towards a brighter future. The results show that the Norwegian government is actively fulfilling its obligations under the EEA agreement.