Under the proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (March 2026), products from EEA/EFTA states (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) and Switzerland may qualify as a 'European preference option' (evrópskur valkostur) in public procurement, on the basis of existing free trade agreements. However, the specific eligibility criteria for EEA/EFTA products will only be clarified in delegated regulations the Commission will draft after the main regulation is adopted. This creates uncertainty about whether EEA membership alone will guarantee equivalent treatment to EU member state products under the new framework.

Um 70% af löggjöf innri markaðar ESB hefur verið innleidd í íslenskan rétt í gegnum EES-samninginn. Þetta nær til frjálsra vöruviðskipta, þjónustu, fjármagns og fólks en útilokar sjávarútveg, landbúnað og réttarmál.

The proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act (March 2026) introduces a foreign direct investment screening framework for strategic sectors. Investments of €100 million or more in sectors where a single third country holds 40% or more of global production capacity are subject to mandatory screening. Key conditions include: foreign investor equity capped at 49%, joint venture foreign partner stake capped at 49%, minimum 1% of company revenue invested in EU-based R&D, at least 50% of workforce based in the EU, and a 30% target for component sourcing within the EU. The Commission retains review powers for investments exceeding €1 billion with significant value-creation implications. Covered sectors include battery technology, electric vehicle manufacturing, solar systems, and critical minerals mining and recycling.