Editing European Free Trade Association (section)

===Free movement of people within EFTA and the EU/EEA===
{{main|Citizens' Rights Directive}}
EFTA member states' citizens enjoy freedom of movement in each other's territories in accordance with the EFTA convention.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.efta.int/legal-texts/efta-convention/detailed-overview-of-the-efta-convention#persons|title=Short Overview of the EFTA Convention|access-date=29 November 2017}}</ref> EFTA & EEA nationals also enjoy [[Free Movement of Citizens Directive|freedom of movement]] in the [[European Union]] (EU). EFTA nationals and EU citizens are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries. The '''Citizens' Rights Directive'''<ref>{{CELEX|id=02004L0038-20110616|text=Consolidated text: Directive 2004/38/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the Member States amending Regulation (EEC) No 1612/68 and repealing Directives 64/221/EEC, 68/360/EEC, 72/194/EEC, 73/148/EEC, 75/34/EEC, 75/35/EEC, 90/364/EEC, 90/365/EEC and 93/96/EEC}}</ref> (also sometimes called the "Free Movement Directive") defines the right of free movement for citizens of the [[European Economic Area]] (EEA),<ref>{{CELEX|id=22007D0158|text=Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 158/2007 of 7 December 2007 amending Annex V (Free movement of workers) and Annex VIII (Right of establishment) to the EEA Agreement}}</ref> which includes the three EFTA members [[Iceland]], [[Norway]] and [[Liechtenstein]] plus [[Member state of the European Union|the member states of the EU]]. [[Switzerland]], which is a member of EFTA but not of the EEA, is not bound by the Directive but rather has a separate [[Switzerland–European Union relations|multilateral agreement]] on free movement with the EU and its member states.<ref>{{CELEX|id=02002A0430(01)-20210101|text=Consolidated text: Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Swiss Confederation, of the other, on the free movement of persons}}</ref>

As a result, a citizen of an EFTA country can live and work in all the other EFTA countries and in all the EU countries, and a citizen of an EU country can live and work in all the EFTA countries (but for voting and working in sensitive fields, such as government / police / military, citizenship is often required, and non-citizens may not have the same rights to welfare and unemployment benefits as citizens).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Free Movement of Persons {{!}} European Free Trade Association |url=https://www.efta.int/eea/policy-areas/persons |access-date=2024-06-07 |website=www.efta.int |language=en}}</ref>