On 17 December 1999, the EEA Joint Committee decided that the "specific geographical situation of Liechtenstein" still justified "the maintenance of certain conditions on the right of taking up residence in that country". But in order to resolve the situation, it came up with the proposal for a longer-term solution which it set out in
Decision No 191/99. This innovative solution allowed Liechtenstein to introduce a quota system controlling the number of workers allowed to enter the country.
The arrangement was given formal status by an amendment to
Annex VIII of the EEA Agreement, setting out what were called "sectoral adaptations". This is cross-referred to
Annex V on free movement of workers.
The decision provided for a new transitional period until 31 December 2006, and allowed for the new measures to apply subject to a review "every five years, for the first time before May 2009". After reviews in 2009 and in 2015,
it was concluded that there was no need to alter the current rules. The provisions on the Sectoral Adaptations could remain unchanged.
Under the current arrangement, in 2011 there were 598 applications for permanent residence from economically active people. Liechtenstein issued 41 residence permits. Half of the total available are decided by a lottery which is held twice a year.
The numbers involved are, of course, small beer. But Liechtenstein is a tiny country. What matters though is that a precedent has been set within the framework of the EEA Agreement. It is possible to suspend freedom of movement in respect of a single country and replace it with a quota system for an indefinite period. It matters not that Liechtenstein is a micro-state. It is a fully-fledged contracting party within the terms of the EEA Agreement. What applies to one legally can apply to any or all.
And, totally contrary to the claims of
Open Europe, the arrangement is effectively permanent. For Liechtenstein, it is in its seventeenth year.
Whatever the EU might declare in terms of freedom of movement being "non-negotiable" for EU members, therefore, it has conceded that it is negotiable for Efta/EEA states. And if the Sectoral Adaptations avenue was closed to us, the alternative for the UK as an Efta/EEA state would be unilaterally invoke Article 112, as did Liechtenstein. We could then apply our own controls.
Either way, it is undeniable that there are options within the framework of the EEA Agreement. If tiny Liechtenstein, with a population of 37,000 spread over an area of 61 square miles – less than half the area of the Isle of Wight – can manage it, we should be able to do something like the same deal.
On this basis, there should be no barrier to the "leave" campaign adopting the Efta/EEA option as part of a broader Flexcit plan, resolving immigration and participation in the Single Market. This has the potential to be not just a temporary "fix" but a permanent solution.