ABSTRACT
The Governments of the EFTA States share the view that enlarged economic co-operation must be accompanied by progress in the social dimension of integration, to be achieved in full co-operation with the social partners. The EFTA States wish actively to contribute to the development of the social dimension of the European Economic Area. They therefore welcome the strengthened co-operation in the social field with the Community and its Member States established under this Agreement. Recognising the importance of guaranteeing, in this context, the fundamental social rights for workers within the whole EEA, the Governments endorse the principles and basic rights laid down in the Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers of 9 December 1989 recalling the principle of subsidiarity referred to therein. They note that, in the implementation of such rights, due regard must be given to the diversity of national practices, especially as regards the role of the social partners and collective agreements.
