 | |
 European Union |  Liechtenstein |
|---|---|
Relations between thePrincipality of Liechtenstein (German:Fürstentum Liechtenstein)and theEuropean Union (EU) are shaped heavily by Liechtenstein's participation in theEuropean Economic Area (EEA).[citation needed]
 European Union |  Liechtenstein | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 447,206,135[1] | 38,896 (2020 estimate)[2] |
| Area | 4,324,782 km2 (1,669,808 sq mi)[3] | 160 km2 (62 sq mi) |
| Population density | 115/km2 (300/sq mi) | 237/km2 (613.8/sq mi) |
| Capital | Brussels (de facto) | Vaduz |
| Global cities[4] | Paris,Amsterdam,Milan,Frankfurt,Madrid,Brussels,Warsaw,Stockholm,Vienna,Dublin,Luxembourg,Munich,Lisbon, Prague | None |
| Government | Supranationalparliamentarydemocracy based on theEuropean treaties[5] | Unitaryparliamentarysemi-constitutional monarchy |
| First leader | High Authority PresidentJean Monnet | MonarchKarl I |
| Current leader | Council PresidentAntónio Costa Commission PresidentUrsula von der Leyen | MonarchHans-Adam II Prime MinisterBrigitte Haas |
| Official languages | 24 official languages, of which 3 considered "procedural" (English,French andGerman)[6] | German |
| Main religions | 72% Christianity (48%Roman Catholicism, 12%Protestantism, 8%Eastern Orthodoxy, 4% Other Christianity), 23% non-Religious, 3% Other, 2%Islam | 83.2% Christianity (73.4%Roman Catholic (official), 9.8% OtherChristian), 7.0%No religion, 5.9%Islam, 3.9%Others[7] |
| Ethnic groups | Germans (ca. 83 million),[8] French (ca. 67 million), Italians (ca. 60 million), Spanish (ca. 47 million), Poles (ca. 46 million), Romanians (ca. 16 million), Dutch (ca. 13 million), Greeks (ca. 11 million), Portuguese (ca. 11 million),and others | |
| GDP (nominal) | $16.477 trillion, $31,801 per capita | $5.155 billion, $143,151 per capita |
Liechtenstein is the onlymicrostate (not countingIceland by population) that is part of the EEA. Liechtenstein joined the EEA on 1 May 1995 after becoming a full member of theEuropean Free Trade Association (EFTA) in 1991 (previously, it had participated in EFTA through Switzerland's membership). All EFTA states barSwitzerland are in the EEA, which gives them access to theEU single market. It also obliges Liechtenstein to applyEuropean Union laws considered EEA-relevant. As of June 2016, around 5,000 of 23,000 EU legal acts in total were in force in the EEA.[9] There is some further cooperation with the EU via Switzerland as Liechtenstein is highly integrated with the Swiss economy (including using theSwiss franc).[10]
On 28 February 2008, Liechtenstein signed theSchengen Agreement and became part of theSchengen Area on 19 December 2011. Before this,Switzerland shared an open border with Liechtenstein and was already a full Schengen Area member. This open border was not considered a threat to European security because it would be highly difficult to enter Liechtenstein without first landing in or entering a Schengen state. The border with Austria was not open, and it was treated as an external border post by Austria and Liechtenstein, making it necessary to pass through customs and passport control before crossing.
Liechtenstein signed a Schengen association agreement with the European Union on 28 February 2008,[11] and originally planned to join the Schengen Area on 1 November 2009. However, ratification was initially delayed at the behest of Sweden and Germany who felt that Liechtenstein had not done enough to fight tax evasion;[12][13] the Council of Ministers eventually consented to the ratification of the protocol on 7 March 2011,[14] with the protocol entering into force a month later.[15] Liechtenstein was due to join the Schengen Area by the end of 2011[16][17] and did so on 19 December.
Although a member of theEuropean Economic Area Liechtenstein does not adhere to thefree movement of labour unlike every other member of the European Union and EFTA because its small size and relative prosperity mean that it is vulnerable to high immigration.[18]
There are further bilateral agreements between the two parties on matters such as taxation of savings. There are also ongoing talks on combating fraud and exchanging information on tax matters.[10]
| Country | Liechtenstein embassy | Reciprocal embassy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Austria | Vienna | ||
 Belgium | Brussels | Bern, Switzerland | Liechtenstein Mission to theEU |
 Bulgaria | Sofia | ||
 Croatia | Zagreb | ||
 Cyprus | Nicosia | ||
 Czech Republic | Prague | ||
 Denmark | Copenhagen | ||
 Estonia | Tallinn | ||
 Finland | Helsinki | ||
 France | Paris | Bern, Switzerland | Liechtenstein Mission to theCouncil of Europe in Strasbourg |
 Germany | Berlin | Bern, Switzerland | |
 Greece | Athens | ||
 Hungary | Budapest | ||
 Ireland | Dublin | ||
 Italy | Rome | ||
 Latvia | Riga | ||
 Lithuania | Vilnius | ||
 Luxembourg | Luxembourg City | ||
 Malta | Valletta | ||
 Netherlands | The Hague | ||
 Poland | Warsaw | ||
 Portugal | Lisbon | ||
 Romania | Bucharest | ||
 Slovakia | Bratislava | ||
 Slovenia | Ljubljana | ||
 Spain | Madrid | ||
 Sweden | Stockholm |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Africa | |
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| Americas | |
| Asia | |
| Europe | |
| Multilateral relations | |
| Diplomatic missions | |
