Editing European Economic Area (section)

===Recent EU member states===
When a state joins the EU, they do not necessarily simultaneously become part of the EEA.  They are obliged to apply separately, and an agreement between EEA member states must be signed and ratified to admit a new member.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efta.int/~/media/Documents/legal-texts/eea/the-eea-agreement/Main%20Text%20of%20the%20Agreement/EEAagreement.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121111926/http://www.efta.int/~/media/Documents/legal-texts/eea/the-eea-agreement/Main%20Text%20of%20the%20Agreement/EEAagreement.pdf |archive-date=2012-01-21 |url-status=live |title=EEA Agreement |access-date=7 July 2013 |publisher=European Free Trade Association |at=Article 128}}</ref>

Following the [[2004 enlargement of the European Union|2004 enlargement of the EU]], which saw Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia [[Treaty of Accession 2003|acceding to the EU]] on 1 May 2004, the EEA Enlargement Agreement was applied on a [[Provisional application (treaty)|provisional]] basis to the 10 acceding countries as from the date of their accession to the EU while their EEA accession agreement was pending [[ratification]] by all EEA parties.<ref>{{CELEX|32004D0368|text=2004/368/EC: Council Decision of 30 March 2004 concerning the provisional application of the Agreement on the participation of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the Slovak Republic in the European Economic Area and the provisional application of four related agreements}}</ref> 

On the other hand, following the [[2007 enlargement of the European Union|2007 enlargement of the EU]], which saw Bulgaria and Romania [[Treaty of Accession 2005|acceding to the EU]] on 1 January 2007, an EEA Enlargement Agreement was not signed until 25 July 2007 and only provisionally entered into force on 1 August 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eu-norway.org/about/41C3B197_B600_4489_8D22_A35FA685B979/ |title=Enlargement of the EU and the EEA |date=8 June 2009 |access-date=4 July 2013 |publisher=Mission of Norway to the EU |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805134217/http://www.eu-norway.org/about/41C3B197_B600_4489_8D22_A35FA685B979/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.efta.int/eea/enlargement-of-the-eea.aspx |title=Enlargement of the EEA |access-date=4 July 2013 |publisher=European Free Trade Association |archive-date=10 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510102853/http://efta.int/eea/enlargement-of-the-eea.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=bulgrom>{{cite web |url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2007059 |title=Agreement details |date=25 July 2007 |access-date=7 July 2013 |publisher=Council of the European Union |archive-date=11 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011034824/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/agreements-conventions/agreement/?aid=2007059 |url-status=live }}</ref> The agreement did not fully enter into force until 9 November 2011.<ref name=bulgrom/>

Croatia is the newest EU member state, having [[2013 enlargement of the European Union|joined on 1 July 2013]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/news/external-relations/2011/03/20110302_en.htm |title=Croatians vote "Yes" to EU accession |date=22 January 2012 |access-date=9 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123185048/http://europa.eu/news/external-relations/2011/03/20110302_en.htm |archive-date=23 January 2012}}</ref> Croatia applied to join the EEA on 13 September 2012,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://daily.tportal.hr/214482/Croatian-gov-t-files-for-Croatia-s-entry-into-EEA.html |title=Croatian gov't files for Croatia's entry into EEA |date=13 September 2012 |access-date=7 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224114835/http://daily.tportal.hr/214482/Croatian-gov-t-files-for-Croatia-s-entry-into-EEA.html |archive-date=24 December 2013}}</ref> with the agreement concluded on 20 November 2013. It was signed in April 2014 and provisionally applied until it officially entered into force on 19 February 2025.<ref>{{cite web |title=Agreement on the participation of the Republic of Croatia in the European Economic Area |url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/documents-publications/treaties-agreements/agreement/?id=2014013 |publisher=The Council of the EU |access-date=21 February 2025}}</ref>